


Snapshots and Snippets

by StoriesbyReese



Series: Carter Magnus [2]
Category: Sanctuary (TV), Stargate SG-1
Genre: Badass Women, Bonding, Crossover, Family, Fluff, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Siblings, Team as Family, aliens and monsters, team ups
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:27:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 89,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26177965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StoriesbyReese/pseuds/StoriesbyReese
Summary: A collection of one shots and episode rewrites that happen in the world I created in 'Stolen Lives Returned'. These stories pick up where SLR ended and follow Sam Carter and her mother Helen Magnus, and the rest of their family and friends as they lives their lives saving the world from aliens and abnormals.If you haven't read Stolen Lives, why not? But also, this fic centers around Helen Magnus being Sam Carter's biological mother. This is also a fic in which Sam Carter and Janet Fraiser are a couple, and Janet Fraiser lives.
Relationships: SG1 & Sanctuary Team, Samantha "Sam" Carter & Ashley Magnus, Samantha "Sam" Carter & Helen Magnus, Samantha "Sam" Carter/Janet Fraiser
Series: Carter Magnus [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1885318
Comments: 12
Kudos: 43





	1. Don't Tell Mom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashley and Sam go out for a night on the town for some sisterly bonding. Things don't go according to plan.

They were out on the town for a night of sisterly bonding. Drinks at Ashley's favorite bar, a band of Abnormals playing at an underground club, the best street food the Asian district had to offer, though not necessarily in that order. Sam wasn't exactly sure how she'd let Ashley talk her into it, but there she was walking down a dark, damp alley wearing a short leopard print skirt, knee high black leather boots, and a black long sleeve crop top. It goes without saying that she had also allowed her little sister to choose her outfit for the evening. At least Ashley had saved the mini skirt and sparkly tank top for herself, though Sam was a girl envious of the amazing pair of heels her sister was rocking. Of course Sam would never have been brave enough to wear the shoes, not because of the high heel, the pointed toe, or the price tag that came along with that class red bottom, but because they actually belonged to their mother and Sam was fairly sure Ashley hadn't asked Helen if she could borrow them. Samantha Carter faced off against the worse the universe had to offer, mean, nasty, deadly aliens hell bend on enslaving or annihilating the humans of Earth without batting an eye, but facing off against an angry Helen Magnus made her stammer and stutter like a five year old and normally ended up with big bad ass Sam Carter squeaking out that it was all Ashley's fault.

"Sammie!" Ashley called out from a stall boxed in by crates topped with baskets of spices and dried things. "You have got to try this."

Sam smiled as she moved closer to her sister and took the wooden skewer with seasoned meat on it. Normally Sam didn’t like being called Sammie, she used to feel that it was childish, but her sister and Henry had quickly settled in on using it and Sam found she no longer minded. In fact, hearing her sister call her Sammie made Sam’s chest feel all warm and fuzzy. "What is it?"

"Korean." Ashley said as she took another skewer while handing the old man some cash.

"That's not what I meant." Sam laughed.

"It's nothing weird just try it." Ashley replied while grabbing her sister's elbow and pulling her down the narrow street to another stall.

The elder of the two Magnus sisters looked at the meat dubiously for a moment and then shrugged before taking a bite. It was spicy, unexpectedly tangy, but good. Sam liked it, and she smiled approvingly before taking another bite.

Ashley flashed her sister a smug smile. "Told you."

They made their way along the street eating a variety of things on sticks, things wrapped in dough and fried, and noodles smothered in different sauces. The sisters were having fun and laughing, teasing each other with freeze dried fish with creepy eyes and fermented tofu that smelled worse than Steve's habitat after chili night. It felt good to get out and have some fun after everything they'd gone through. There had been a shakeup at the SGC that had unsettled Sam, and then she was almost instantly thrown into action against Anubis.

Ashley had been sitting on the sofa cuddling with Helen when Henry had burst into the room in a panic. She remembered how it felt when Henry said there was something wicked going down in the Antarctic, and the look on Helen's face when she realized Sam had to be in the middle of it. Ashley still felt sorry for that poor Weir lady when Helen had tried finding out what was going on and how her daughter was involved. Thank goodness for Sam's girlfriend. Janet Fraiser had managed to keep some measurement of peace between Helen and Doctor Weir, while giving support to and getting support from them as they all waited on news about Sam.

After saving the Earth from space evil Sam's idea of R&R was helping her mother and Nikola try to solve the mystery of holographic city. The holographic map spread out in the library was the most amazing thing Sam had ever seen, and that was saying a lot. Part of this whole sisters' night out was to force Sam into taking a break from trying to figure the remarkable and frustrating thing out. After washing down all the spice they'd eaten with sweet milky bubble tea, Ashley grabbed hold of Sam again and started leading them back out of the Asian district so they could get to the club.

Neither of them, despite their training and experience, noticed that they were being watched. There were several people keeping an eye on the blondes, but one guy in particular kept his strawberry milk colored, horizontal pupiled, twitchy eyes on the pair. When they left the area, he jerked his head to signal his people to follow. The club they followed Ashley Magnus and the taller blonde too wasn't actually underground, it was in the long abandon Old City train terminal, and it was a part of the young suburban Abnormal scene. The ones who thought they were being edgy and different from their parents. In other words, it was a hangout for Abnormal hipsters. Which meant too many Sanctuary allies so the group of followers would have to wait for the Magnus sisters to come back out.

"Ash." Sam said as she looked around and instantly felt out of place. "There's no one here over the age of thirty."

"Are you kidding?" Ashley said with a shake of her head. "There are tons of people here over thirty. You sister o' mine need to broaden your perspective on age, especially since there's still a very good chance you inherited Mom's anti-aging gene."

Taking her sister by the elbow Ashley led them through the crowd and over to the bar where she ordered a craft beer and Sam got a cranberry and vodka. Ashley scanned the room for several reasons, one to find the best place to watch the band, and two the most strategic place just in case. She wasn't expecting trouble, but her life and Sam's had proven over and over that better safe than sorry wasn't an empty saying but a life style. Once she found the perfect spot, she and Sam began making their way over.

No sooner had they laid claim to their spot, a deep rich voice sounded in Ashley's ear as a strong dark arm slid over her shoulders. "Ashley Magnus." The voice sounded like the deep rumbling purr of a big cat. "Been a long time since I've seen you on the scene baby girl."

"I've been busy." Ashley said as she removed the ebony arm from her shoulder and side stepped out of the extremely handsome man's reach.

"Yes, so I've heard." The man said while flashing a dazing smile at Ashley before taking notice of Sam. He turned his sunset orange eyes on the taller blonde with the short spiky hair and growled softly with pleasure. "And who do we have here?"

"Marquis, no." Ashley said firmly as she moved between the man and her sister. "You know my Mom's rule."

Marquis' charming smile never faltered. "That only applies to you, baby girl. Now aren't you going to introduce me to your stunning friend?"

"The rule applies to her daughters." Ashley told him firmly. "Marquis, meet my sister Sam. Sam, this is Marquis St. James, let’s just call him a friend."

"Hello." Sam said with a smile. She was standing in a deceptively relaxed manner as she offered her hand to the man, but one wrong flinch on his part and he'd be in need of an ice pack or two.

Marquis took Sam's hand and kissed it rather than shaking it. "Another daughter of Helen Magnus?" He looked her up and down several times before grinning. "Yes, now I see it, impossible to miss really. Damn."

Ashley laughed. "Sucks to be you."

"Yes, indeed it does." Marquis replied. "Sex in leather and heels, all three of you, and I can't have any." He stepped closer to Sam, which made her tense up. "Not even a little taste of you."

"Marquis." Ashley warned in a seriously dangerous tone.

"Alright baby girl." Marquis said as he stepped away from Sam. "I'll go find prey whose mother won't skin me alive." He stepped over to Ashley and kissed her cheek. "Glad to see you again, Ashley." He nodded and smiled at Sam. "A pleasure seeing you, Sam."

The sisters watch the tall, well-built, dark man walk away and then Sam turned to her sister asked, "What was that?"

Ashley laughed. Then she explained that Marquis' species were parasitical sex addicts. Their bodies required an almost constant release of a hormone only produced through climax. "I'm guessing Mom hasn't given you the Abnormal sex talk because you're committed to Janet, but there are certain Abnormals that are completely off limits because we have the source blood markers. Marquis and his kind are at the top of the list."

"Not that it'll ever been an issue for me but why?" Sam asked curiously.

"Mixing their abnormal gene with ours would be very bad." Ashley explained. "Possible deadly."

Sam looked a little startled. "Good to know."

The band was an odd mix of Nirvana and electric classical with hints of Carnatic music. It was a little strange at first, but Sam ended up liking it. Sam was a bit more glam metal rock than grunge, but she knew good music when she heard it. The second band of the night sucked in Ashley's option, so they decided to head to the bar she wanted to go to. Stepping out into the night the sisters stuck close together as they talked and laughed. They were both feeling the very beginning of a warm buzz from the drinks they'd had in the club, but they weren't drunk just yet. Which was a good thing because several blocks away from the train terminal Sam smiled, she kept her voice happy and light as she said, "We're being followed."

"Sensed that, too did you?" Ashley chuckled as she nodded.

"Since we left the club." Sam replied.

"Two buildings down and to the left." Ashley said, still smiling.

The strawberry milk eyed man watched as the blondes turned into an alley and smiled. Now he had her. He wasn't stupid enough to understatement Ashley Magnus, so he'd brought six of his best guys with him. He didn't know who the tall blonde was, he wasn't important enough to know Helen Magnus had an older daughter, so he wasn't worried too much about her. He figured she was Ashley's current fling. His mistake.

The alley appeared empty but there was no way the two blondes had come back out without them seeing them, and since it was a dead end they couldn't have gone through to the next block. "Where'd they go?" One of the thugs asked while strawberry milk eyed guy looked around confused.

"We're right here boys." Ashley said as she dropped down from a fire escape.

With everyone's attention on Ashley, the known threat, no one paid any mind to Sam who stepped out of a dark doorway. Military training and experience put a quick end to the street brawl. Though the thugs did land a few lucky punches that would leave a bruise or two, but thankfully nothing that couldn't be covered up by clothes.

Ashley and Sam knocked the six large goons unconscious, and then Ashley threw out an elbow knocking strawberry milk eyed guy on his ass. Crouching down the longhaired blonde grabbed the idiot by the throat while pressing a knee into his chest. She smiled sweetly, "Hello Burt."

"Hiya Ash." Burt rasped out.

"You've been following us, Burt." Ashley said, her voice just as sweet as her smile. "Why?" Burt struggled but Ashley increased the pressure on his chest and throat, so he stopped. "Come on Burt, talk to me, why are you following us?"

"You." The man croaked out. "Don't care about the leggy one."

Sam moved closer which put her under a flickering dim yellow light. She was standing in a defensive posture with her arms crossed. Marquis had called her sex in heels but in that moment, she was very much danger in high heels. "Why were you and your boys following my sister?"

"Sister?" Burt squeaked, those oddly colored eyes darting between the two women.

Sam crouched down and gave him a look that Magnus would have been proud of. "Yes, sister, my little sister, and let me tell you, Burt was it? I'm very protective of my little sister. So, I'd advise you to start talking."

Burt's strange eyes continued to dart between the two; his horizontal pupils expanding like inflating footballs. Finally, he settled his gaze on Ashley. "Mick." He rasped out. "You done pissed him off good this time, Ash."

"He's pissed about the safe house." Ashley said with a sigh.

"You cleaned out all of his red list stock. Took him months to get what he had, and you took it all." Burt croaked out. "He's got everyone out lookin' for you."

"Damn." Ashley grunted before letting Burt go and standing up.

Burt quickly got to his feet hoping that Ashley was to distracted by his news to hurt him, but of course she wasn't. He didn't even see the roundhouse kick coming until Ashley's fancy high heel connected with the side of his head. Burt crumpled to the filthy ground with the rest of his dime store posse.

As they walked out of the alley, leaving the trash behind, Sam asked, "So what's going on, Ashley? Who's Mick?"

"Red list smuggler and wannabe gangster." Ashley answered. "He's a punk trying to make a name for himself in the Abnormal underworld and failing miserably. Anyone with any real power in that world thinks he's a joke or a liability."

"Is he dangerous?" Sam asked. She was following wherever Ashley was leading and wondering if Ashley knew where she was heading. They seemed to be going somewhere but no longer towards the bar.

Ashley shook her head and shrugged. "Nothing I can't handle. You should head back to the house, Sam. I need to clean up this mess and get this joker off my back."

"You don't honestly think I'm going to leave you do this alone do you?" Sam asked as she grabbed Ashley's arm to make her stop walking.

"This is my mistake to clean up, Sam." Ashley answered with a flicker of annoyance. "I can handle it on my own."

"I don't doubt that you could." Sam replied. "What I'm saying, is that you don't have too. I meant what I said back there. I'm not just going to stand by while some punk picks on my baby sister."

For several long moments Ashley just stood there glaring at Sam. She was used to picking up after herself on her own, she was used to picking up after Henry or Will, it was a little odd having someone willing to help her out for a change. Finally, a slow smile pulled at Ashley's lips and she nodded, "Alright, fine, let’s go."

As they made their way across town Ashley told Sam everything she needed to know about red list items, the op to clear out and shut down Mick's safe houses, and more about Mick himself. Sam did her best to reassure Ashley that it sounded like the only way to have avoided this was to eliminate the guy and since that wasn't how the Sanctuary handled things, she wasn't at fault. Of course, that pegged the question what to do about him now? Ashley was fairly sure that if they could show Mick how easy getting to him was, put him on notice that if she had the mind to do it she could end him, it would make him back off. Sam hoped she was right.

"Dead Bridge?" Sam asked as she watched Ashley move towards the railing of the crumbling bridge she'd nearly fallen off of when she first found out the truth about herself and Helen Magnus. "Fitting."

Ashley chuckled as she began climbing over the railing.

"What are you doing?" Sam called out in alarm.

"Chill." Ashley replied and then dropped over the side. Her voice floated up from the darkness a moment later as she asked, "Why does this place freak you out? Not a fan of bridges?"

"Only this one." Sam answered nervously. "Remember when I borrowed the custom bike from the garage? Yeah, I didn't know the bridge sort of just stopped in the middle."

Blonde fridge and two wide bright blue eyes popped up over the rusted iron railing. "You nearly drove my bike off the bridge?" Then those eyes went a bit wider as Ashley asked, "Does Mom know?"

"Do you think Mom knows?" Sam replied with a look that said do I look stupid. "Of course, she doesn't know, and neither does Janet, so I'd appreciate you keeping it to yourself."

The tip of Ashley's head disappeared again. "I won't say a word." Her voice promised from the inky darkness. Several minutes later she was climbing back over the railing with a black bag slung over her shoulder. Once she'd rejoined Sam, she pulled the bag strap over her head and dropped the bag to the ground before crouching to unzip it. Rummaging around for a moment she pulled out one of the modified Glocks they used and handed it to Sam. Then she pulled out several clips. "Live rounds." She said as she handed them to Sam before retrieving several more clips, which she again handed to Sam. "Tranquilizer rounds."

"Should have brought a bigger purse." Sam teased. Neither of them were really dressed for carrying weapons.

Ashley snorted. "Wearing all that military gear has made you soft."

Sam stuck her tongue out at her sister while loading the tranquilizer clip into the Glock and then putting the gun in the waist band of her skirt, against the small of her back. She put the extra clips in her boots.

Ashley pulled out a Beretta and sighed. "I shouldn't have let my baby at home. Oh well. This will have to do."

Once they were geared up Ashley 'borrowed' a car to make things a little easier. Sam held in a groan. If her superiors ever found out about this, she'd be in a shit load of trouble. But honestly, the thought of Hammond or Jack finding out didn’t scare her nearly as much as Helen or Janet finding out. They're first stop was a rundown dive bar that Ashley knew Mick's people had laid claim to. Sam was hoping intimidation would work but that quickly fell to the wayside when some big-breasted redhead threw a punch at Ashley. The last bar fight Sam had been in she'd been wearing the Atonieks gauntlet. She, O'Neill, and Daniel had made quick work of a room full of burly guys Sam had just suckered in pool. She had never admitted to anyone, not even Janet, how much fun it had been. Sam Carter didn't have fun in bar fights. When this was all said and done, she might admit it to Ashley though. It wasn't nearly as easy, Sam was going to feel some of the blows she was taking in the morning, but it was a rush.

The brawling came to an end when someone pulled a shotgun. Ashley drew her gun and moments later nearly a dozen wannabe badasses were tranquilized peacefully on the cheap beer soaked floor. Sam leaned against the bar panting as she checked out the damage. "I really wish I had a Zat on me. This could have ended a lot sooner and with less bruising."

Ashley laughed. "We're just getting started, Sam."

Now that Mick knew Ashley was coming for him because he'd been coming for her things got a little hectic. Four of the largest humanoid Abnormals he had in his little gang managed to chase Sam and Ashley into the sewers. Their hides were too thick for the tranquilizer rounds so they were forced to slow them down with non-lethal wounds using the live ammo. Wounded and bleeding the behemoths were easier to knock out with heavy lead pipes. Ashley reassured Sam they'd be all right, no permanent damage.

"Damnit." Ashley swore when they found themselves on the street again. "Mom's going to freak over her shoes."

Sam was gagging and making a face. "I smell like sewer."

Ashley laughed. "You kind of get used to it in my line of work."

Everything they did that night made Mick look weak. Two women, to pretty blonde girls in short skirts and high heels were taking out his best people. The real crime bosses in the Abnormal community would have no choice but to finally set Mick straight and put an end to his criminal career. Finding out that Mick had gone after the Sanctuary wouldn't help matters. People just knew better than to cross Helen Magnus, and they knew only the suicidal went after her daughter. The Cabal had learned that the hard way. They knew that if Ashley didn't fuck you up on her own, Magnus would be at your door in a heartbeat. It was a no win. Poor Mick was an idiot.

The apartment building was three stories high, not including the stores on the ground floor, and long abandon. From the alley across the street Ashley could see movement in the windows of the top floor. It was hard to tell how many people were inside, but she doubted it was more than she and Sam could handle. Mick's crew wasn't large and then already dealt with more than half. So, she was hoping there weren't more than they could handle inside. She really didn't want to tell her mom about this or ask anyone else for help. The plan was to go in, tranquilize anything that moved, and scare Mick crap less. Easy. She hoped.

"Ready?" Sam asked from over Ashley's shoulder.

Ashley nodded. "Thanks Sam. I know this isn't how you normally handle things. This whole night has been totally out of character for you."

"Maybe." Sam agreed. "But who knows, maybe this kind of night would have just been any other Saturday night for Sam Magnus."

Ashley laughed softly. "I don't know about that. Carter, Magnus, I think you'd still have been the straight-laced one out of the two of us."

Sam laughed. Ashley was probably right.

They entered the back door of the building as quietly as they could. They walked slowly, silently, with weapons drawn. They both hoped they had enough tranquilizer rounds because they didn't want to hurt anyone, so they made sure each shot counted. The first two floors were relatively empty. The third seemed to be where everyone was hanging out. Several times Sam was forced to take cover from returned gunfire, and it kind of pissed her off a little knowing she was firing nonlethal rounds while they were firing real rounds at her. Ashley felt the sting of a knife swipe along her collarbone and swore loudly not because it hurt, which it did, but because that was going to be harder to hide.

When the sounds of gunfire and fighting reached Mick's apartment, he quickly grabbed his gun and rushed out the door. His younger brothers were sprawled out on the floor just outside the door, and he saw red. "Patrick! Tommy!"

"They'll be fine, Mick." Ashley said from a few feet away. "They're just sleeping."

The tall ginger haired man who was older than Ashley but younger than Sam turned and aimed his gun. His bright green eyes widened a little when he saw Ashley standing there with her gun on him. "Stupid little girl coming here alone."

"Who said she was alone?" Sam called from where she stood. Mick's apartment had been a corner apartment, which meant he was now cornered on two sides by the Magnus sisters.

"You're done, Mick." Ashley said firmly as she took a few steps closer to him. "We just embarrassed the hell out of you all over town." She smiled at him and then put on her best borough. "Face it me lad you weren't meant for the thug life, it didn't choose ye, go back to cookin' school, ye eejit."

Sam groaned. "Wow, that was bad, Ash. I think I heard Mom cringe all the way across town."

"Michael?" A real Irish sounding voice called from inside the apartment. "Michael Fitzpatrick Donnelley what's…" When the woman, who appeared to be in her mid-fifties, stepped out into the hall her eyes went wide. "What the bloody hell is going on out here?"

"Nothin' Ma." Mick said, his eyes darting between Sam and Ashley. "Go back inside."

Sam knew what to do instantly. "Mrs. Donnelley, is it? Mick here sent a bunch of really nasty guys after my little sister, ma'am. We're just here to very nicely ask him to stop."

Mrs. Donnelley took everything in and crossed her arms over her chest. "Looks like you two aren't much more than thugs yourselves."

"Far from it, ma'am." Sam replied as she lowered her gun. The boys on the floor were clearly Abnormals, Ashley had told her Mick was one, so Sam was guessing so was their mother or at least she knew what her sons were. "We're with the Sanctuary."

Mrs. Donnelley's eyes went wide and then she hauled off and clocked her son in the back of the head. "You crossed the Sanctuary? You fool boy! I'd be long dead and peltless if not for the Sanctuary! One good and dead selkie and your eejit self wouldn't be here making trouble for these poor lasses." She hit him again and Sam cringed. "Apologize to the lass, Michael. Sending your worthless friends after the poor child. I'm ashamed of ya, boy."

"Ma!" Michael protested.

"Don't you Ma me!" Mrs. Donnelley argued and hit him again.

Mick glared at his mother for a long moment before turning to Ashley. "I'm sorry for all the trouble."

Ashley blinked. This was not at all how she pictured this going down. "Yeah, um, ok. Just, ya know, go back to cooking school, man. Do something your mom can be proud of you for."

Sam smiled as she moved to stand beside her sister. "We're sorry about the mess, Mrs. Donnelley."

The old woman waved them off. "I don't live here lass. I got me a nice little condo in New City. This place is full of eejits."

Sam laughed.

"Well," Ashley said as they made their way home. Looking the way they did they couldn't just walk through the front door. It was nearly dawn and there was no way of knowing if Helen was awake or not. "That was an odd ending to the night."

Sam laughed as she followed her sister in through the catacombs. "Glad to see we're not the only ones scared of their mother."

Ashley snorted. "I'm not scared of Mom."

"Then why are we sneaking in?" Sam asked.

"We're being courteous." Ashley replied. "It's very late and we don't want to wake or disturb anyone."

Sam snorted. "Yeah, ok."

After a quick stop in the med lab to tend to their wounds, and after 'accidently' leaving Helen's heels with one of the residents known for stealing and eating her shoes, the girls made their way to their rooms. Just before the lift doors opened Ashley said, "Hey, um, Sam?"

"Yeah?" Sam replied as she opened her eyes to look at Ashley. Being this close to her bed had made her realized just how tired and sore she was.

"Thanks." Ashley said with a smile. "For helping me out tonight."

"Any time Ash." Sam replied. "Just let me know you need me, and I'll be there."

Ashley nodded and then said, "Oh, and Sam, don't tell Mom, ya know, about tonight."

Sam smirked. "Don't worry, Ash, I won't. She might not ever let us do it again."

"You'd do it again?" Ashley asked with wide eyes and a hopeful smile.

"We kicked ass." Sam said with a smirk grin. "We make a good team, Ash."

"Of course, we do." Ashley beamed. "We're Magnus women. Kicking ass and being amazing is what we do."

Ashley smiled gratefully. Stepping out of the lift they walked carefully, silently towards their rooms. Nope, Ashley wasn't scared of her mother that was silly. But still, she did sigh a huge sigh of relief once she was safe in her room. She knew Helen would hate that she'd handled Mick on her own without informing her or the others about what happened, but she knew Helen would hate it even more that she'd drug Sam into the mess. Bar fights, shooting Abnormals in the sewer tunnels, storming an apartment building like a two blonde swat team, it wouldn't look good if Sam's military bosses found out. Ashley had thought about that, but to be honest she'd really liked the idea of going on a mission with her big sister, just the two of them. Ashley had the biggest smile on her face as she finally snuggled into her bed after a long shower. They had kicked ass and it had been awesome!


	2. Adventures with Mom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam accompanies Helen and the others to Praxis

"You are to be executed. Immediately."

It wasn't the first time Sam had heard those words. It was however the first time they had ever been carried out. She had never felt anything like the searing pain that raged through her body as she hung from the energy restraints. It felt as if every atom, every molecule in her body was being supercharged, overloaded, and then drained, all at the same time. It was defiantly top three on her list of ‘dear god that fucking hurt!’ moments.

She was dead. She felt herself die, which was a totally unexplainable experience. So why was she feeling pain and nausea? Why was she having cognitive thoughts like ‘feeling yourself die is really weird’? And why was she hearing strange voices?

"She is unlike the others." One voice said in a hushed whisper. "She has the gene of the Elder Ones."

"How is that possible?" That was the voice of the bitchy woman who killed them. Ranna Seneschal.

"I don't know." The first voice replied. "The rest of her DNA is tainted by Akhkharu markers and her blood is polluted with elements I've never seen before."

Sam's head was foggy, but she could still theorize about what she was hearing. These people hated vampires, which is why Helen and Ashley had to wear the shielding cuffs. The naquadah in her blood had acted as a natural shield while she helped with the holographic map; it masked the markers she'd inherited from her mother. So Akhkharu must mean vampire, the part of her they considered tainted. The elements in her blood were the protein markers and naquadah left behind by Jolinar. That was all old news; the interesting part was the gene of the Elder Ones. It didn't come as quickly as it would have if she weren't recovering from her resent death, but Sam did finally realize that they had to be talking about the dormant Ancient gene she'd inherited from her father, Thomas. Was Praxis another Atlantis?

"I need answers." Ranna said. "Alert me once she is awake." There was a pause before she continued. "Wake Helen Magnus."

Wake? Her mother was dead. Her sister, Henry, Will, Kate, they were all dead. What kind of technological advancements did these people have that they could simply wake someone from death? Sam’s mind went to the Goa’uld sarcophagus, and she had to fight back a shudder. She had already been subjected to that type of revival, and she wasn’t sure how much more she could handle before it started screwing with her head. 

A third unknown voice answered, "Yes Ranna, as you wish."

That bloody fucking hurt! Helen thought as she gasped for air. Nothing in all her nearly one hundred and sixty years had ever hurt that badly, not even rewriting her very DNA with the source blood had felt as agonizing as that had. She couldn't pull air in fast enough now that she was conscious and aware, her body craving, demanding fresh oxygen. Bright blue eyes flew open and Helen looked around in a near panic. Henry, Will, Kate and Ashley all continue to hang from the energy restraints, but where was Samantha? Not seeing her eldest daughter Helens' eyes went to Ashley. No! No! Not again!

"Your body will soon adjust. " A gentle voice said. "Here, drink this, proteins for the status sickness. The radiation poisoning isn't helping either."

Anger and fear washed through Helen like a tidal wave. Ranna had questions, well so did she and she intended to get answers. She finished off the foul-tasting concoction Fallon had given her and then willingly followed her to Ranna. Her mind was racing as she tried to figure out what they could have done with Sam. They had undone whatever it was that had 'killed' her so she was fairly confident she could get them to undo it with the others as well, but Samantha wasn't with the others. Strolling into Ranna's office as if the bitch hadn't just unfairly put her to death Helen Magnus demanded, "What the hell have you done with my daughter?"

Ranna raised an eyebrow but showed no other reaction to Helen's outburst. She let her gaze take the woman in as she tried to match the reality of Helen Magnus to the stories Gregory had told her. "She is your daughter?"

"Yes." Helen hissed. "And before this, whatever this is, goes any further I want to know what you've done with her."

"But you are human. Tainted foully as you may be, you are just human." Ranna replied. "You do not carry the Elder gene."

Elder gene, interesting, Samantha carried what she called the Ancient gene, but it was inactive because the genetic gifts she herself had passed on to Sam were dominant. "I don't know how you do it down here, but on the surface, it takes two to create offspring."

"Her father was an Elder One?" Ranna asked, her eyes giving away her curiosity, and perhaps even a little awe.

"No." Helen answered before thinking it through. "Maybe." She wondered why this woman was interested in that particular part of Sam. "It's complicated." Understatement, she thought to herself. "Where is Samantha?"

"Being looked after." Ranna replied. "She was revived but there are abnormities making her restoration a bit more complicated."

The alien element in Samantha's blood, Helen thought to herself. Thankfully Ranna didn't ask more about that. Helen was pretty sure Sam wouldn't want her telling Air Force secrets to the leader of a hidden world beneath the surface of the Earth. Having answered Helen's question about Sam's whereabouts Ranna began asking about her father and Adam Worth, and Helen quickly began to see the bigger picture.

Sam carefully checked for restraints and inwardly sighed in relief to find none. She wasn't strapped down to the bed she was on and there appeared to be only one other person in the room with her. She slowly opened one eye to take a peek just to make sure. Yes, one person with their back to her, their focus completely on whatever was on their screen. She didn't make a sound as she slowly began to slip off the bed. Of course, all of her weapons were gone but with just one unaware opponent a hard slam to the base of their neck with both her hands laced into a single fist would do the trick nicely. Once the man was a heap on the floor Sam checked for a key card or security pass of some sort, and a weapon. She smiled when she found both. Now what to do? If she could be revived could the others? She needed to find out. Slipping out of the room she was in she checked the hall outside and sighed softly in relief to find it empty.

When they'd first arrived, a sudden earthquake had separated them all. Her mother and Will, Henry and Kate, Ashley and herself, had all been making their way towards the city. Along the way they'd all been captured, but not before she and Ashley took out several search teams. Coming across four armed soldiers as she made her way to wherever she was going made Sam wish she had her sister with her. Ashley was like a one-woman army, but then again so was she. She hoped the weapon she was about to fire wasn't lethal but if it was, oh well, they'd killed her after all. She managed to shoot two out of the four before she was forced into hand to hand. They were well trained, but Sam managed to knock them out cold. Finding the handcuffs they'd used on them earlier she cuffed all four men together before making her way down the hall once more.

She spotted them from around the corner, the dark-haired woman with the strange reptilian eyes and her mother. Sam closed her eyes and said a silent thank you to whoever was out there that at least her mother seemed to be all right. Peeking around the corner she watched as the Praxian woman led her mother down the hall and once she was sure she wouldn't be noticed she followed. They got onto an elevator and Sam muttered a swear under her breath. There were no numbers over the lift like a normal elevator, so she didn't know for sure where the woman had gone with her mom. Biting her lip, she thought about where they might be going and the only place that made sense was Ranna's office. So that's where Sam went. It took a little longer than she'd have liked, she'd come across more patrols, but her timing seemed to be just right.

"Drop the weapon." Ranna warned as she held her own weapon on Helen. They stood eye-to-eye, unflinching, unwavering, weapons inches from one another.

"Drop yours." Sam said from the suddenly open door. Seeing her mother standing there, weapon aimed at the dark-haired woman, Sam relaxed and even smiled a bit. She still got a kick out of her mom being a badass. "You might have a slim change against one Magnus, but lady, you're screwed against two."

Helen didn't turn despite really wanting too, she kept her weapon on Ranna, but she did light up as brightly as the sun at the sound of Samantha's voice.

"How did you?" Ranna was in shock, her eyes darting from Helen to Sam and back again.

"Were you not listening when my sister was ranting about me being Air Force?" Sam asked as she moved further into the room after closing the door behind her. "You harmed my family. You think a handful of armed guards was going to stop me from trying to save them?"

"My daughter is quite remarkable, isn't she?" Helen gloated before launching into her little speech about knowing the truth about the earth tremors and the super abnormal causing them. As she spoke, she felt Sam drawing closer until they stood side by side. When she was finished, she lowered her weapon. "You need my help."

"Mom?" Sam questioned, eyes and weapon still trained on Ranna. "What are you doing?"

"Lower your weapon Samantha." Helen said firmly. "I meant what I said before. We came here in peace, and if I can help I will in any way I can."

"Are you sure about this?" Sam replied.

"Do as you're told, Samantha." Helen said, her voice taking on that mother's tone that Sam was just now realizing she reacted to so easily.

Sam grumbled but lowered her weapon. "Fine. I hope you know what you’re doing. Death and resurrection, not really something I'd like to experience again. No wonder Daniel's so moody. It's no trip to Disneyland."

They were taken to a control room of some sort and the technology made Sam's whole body quiver with excitement. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen and that was saying a lot. Helen's curiously was peeked as well, and it made Sam smile to see her play with one of the devises the way she would have if she'd had the chance. While Helen was looking into one of the holographic scopes, one of the armed soldiers moved towards her and Sam moved towards him. He reached out to force Helen away from the devise and Sam's own reflexes shot out, grabbing hold of his arm. She recognized him as one of the men she and Ashley had taken out, her gaze flickering for a second to what seemed to be a medical devise on his other arm, and then she looked into his eyes. "Touch my mother I break this arm too."

"Commander Juno Toland, head of security." Ranna said by way of introduction. "It's alright Commander, stand down."

Toland pulled his wrist free from Sam's grasp violently. "I don't care if you people are related to Gregory Magnus, you don't belong here, you don't exist here."

"You'll have to forgive the Commander's manners." Ranna said while flashing him a look of warning before looking at Helen. "You took out three of his men, and your daughters managed to cripple an entire garrison before they were caught."

"Not to mention the men you took our during your escape." Toland hissed at Sam.

Sam just shrugged as she said, "I really don't like dying, it makes me cranky, and watching my mother, my sister, and my friends die, well that just pisses me off."

Toland and Sam glared at each other until the tension was nearly painful. Finally, Helen spoke up while putting her hand on Sam's arm. "Ranna, will you please show me Kanaan."

With a working theory as to what was happening with Kanaan, Helen agreed to help and began asking for what she needed to do so. At the top of that list was the rest of her team. Ranna agreed, and Fallon escorted Helen down to the chamber holding the others, leaving Sam with Ranna.

"You carry the Elder gene." Ranna said in a hushed tone so no one would overhear. "How is that possible?"

"We call them the Ancients on the surface." Sam replied. "My father is… was… is…" She had no idea if Thomas was alive or not. She often wondered about him, about what the others had done to him for bringing her and Ashley back to Helen. "One of them. It's really complicated."

"The Elder One's remain on the surface?" Ranna asked next.

Sam shook her head. "No, not for a really long time. Some of them still exist but no longer in human form, they discovered a way to transcend, to exist in another realm of reality. The ones who remained human and fled died out long ago. I'm thinking that while some fled the planet all together, some must have retreated within, becoming the genesis for your people."

"And your father?" Ranna asked.

"One of the ascended, that's what they called it, ascending. He took human form to study the humans they left behind." Sam answered. "Then you know how the story goes. Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy breaks all the rules to be with girl and baby. Then boy’s selfish, arrogant people take other people's lives into their own hands to punish him and use them to their own advantage.” Sam paused, she looked at Ranna for a moment and then said, “Ya know, come to think of it, they're a lot like you. And I don’t mean that as a compliment."

Any further discussion about Sam's genetics or her obvious dislike for the Praxians was cut off when Helen and the others returned. The moment Henry walked in and began geeking out Sam was quick to follow. They were like kids in a toy store until Toland tried to physical stop Henry from touching things. Sam got between them and damn near growled. "You’re repeated attempts at harassing my family, are really starting to piss me off."

"That's quite enough!" Helen scolded, giving both Sam and Toland a heated glare. "From both of you. We have work to do, a life to save, so it's time to stop acting like belligerent children and get on with it."

Sam whirled around, "Mom!"

"Now Samantha." Helen barked at her eldest child in a tone that would not allow further argument.

Sam glared at her mother for a moment but then turned back to Toland and muttered, "I hope your arm hurts like hell." Before moving herself and Henry away from him and over to something else shiny and blinky they could geek out over.

Apparently, Sam wasn't the only one in a mood over this whole ordeal. Ashley and Henry threw out the word murder every change they got. Henry even managed to use it several times while working out a way to protect them from the heat and gas of the tunnels and chambers where Kanaan was. Helen sent Sam with Henry to work on the suits because she knew the two of them could come up with something brilliant in a hurry, and to get Sam away from Toland. She sent Kate along to keep her easily tech distracted children on task, while she and Ashley worked with Ranna, and Will got to know Fallon and hopefully a little more about Praxis.

When it was time to suit up and go into the caverns Ashley put a halt to anything going any further. "Ok, we're ready to do this but we're not doing a damn thing until you treat my Mom's illness."

"Ashley." Helen said softly.

"Nope, nothing's happening until that's taken care of." Ashley replied as she crossed her arms and gave everyone a look that dared them to argue with her.

Ranna simply handed over an injection device without a word.

Ashley blinked as she took it. She hadn't been expecting that to be so easy. "Thanks." She walked over and handed the medicine to her mom.

The way Ashley looked at her broke Helen's heart. She smiled warmly at her little girl, patted her cheek, and then injected herself with whatever was in the cylinder. She felt woozy for a moment, swaying on her feet a bit, which caused both of her daughters to instantly appear on either side of her. "It's alright now, sweethearts.” Helen reassured her children. When the dizziness passed, she took a deep breath and smiled. She was already feeling much better. Looking at her daughters she added, “Right as rain."

This had been Sam's main reason for tagging along. Sure after helping decode the map and finding out Hollow Earth existed she'd been thrilled by the idea of exploring it, exploring the unknown and fantastically new had woven its way into her very being, and yes she liked the idea of maybe meeting her grandfather, but more important than all that was finding a cure for the radiation sickness Helen had. She'd just found her mother not long ago; they hadn't had nearly enough time together, not when Sam was promised pretty much forever. 

"Now," Ranna said. "Shall we get going?"

Helen nodded. "Samantha and Ashley are with me. Henry, Kate and Will remain here to monitor the situation."

After a bit of a shaky tennis ball subway car ride the four women made their way deeper into the hidden world beneath the Earth's surface. It was remarkable and overwhelming even to Sam who'd been to and seen other worlds. They had known that space was full of galaxies, full of other planets, stars, and suns long before anyone stepped through the Stargate to visit those places. It was an all-new kind of shock and awe to discover another world lying just beneath your feet.

"I'd have thought you'd be used to this kind of thing." Ashley said as she walked beside her sister while they walked behind their mother and Ranna.

Sam shook her head. "You never really get use to this kind of wonderment. I mean there are times when you think, yeap that's it, I've seen it all now, but then something like this happens and you're left standing there in awe all over again."

"The universe is full of marvels, my darlings." Helen said as she looked over her shoulder. "Especially for those willing to go looking for them."

There was another tremor as they came through a narrow passage. They paused until it stopped and then went through one by one. Helen was the first through and the first to spot the abnormal insectoid. It was in no way comforting that Ranna was unnerved by the critter being there, but the sudden appearance of Gregory Magus helped.

"Father!" Helen beamed as she rushed over to the old man.

"Helen." Gregory replied as he took his daughter into his arms.

Ashley stood beside her sister with a smile as she watched. She liked how Gregory brought out a side of her mother that no one else could. When they were together you could almost see the echo of the little girl in long spiraling blonde curls who looked up to her father with such innocence and admiration. There was just something softer about Helen when she was around her father. "Mom is so totally a daddy's girl."

"I can see that." Sam replied as she took the pair in for herself. Her mother's face lit up, her eyes lit up, and her smile was radiant. For a moment she wondered if that's how she looked when she got to see Helen or Jacob after a long stretch of time without them.

The sound of Sam's voice is what caused Gregory to pull away from Helen and look over at his granddaughters. He smiled a big, bright, Magnus smile. "Hello again Ashley."

"Hiya Granddad!" Ashley replied.

Gregory let go of Helen so he could walk over to the girls. He looked Sam over carefully before saying, "It is good to finally meet you face to face Samantha."

Sam couldn't hide the surprise she felt at being recognized. "You know who I am?"

"Of course, I do." Gregory replied cheerily. "You don't think I haven't been keeping an eye on my family? Besides, you look so much like your mother, it remarkable." Turning back towards Helen he admitted, "I miss you with blonde hair."

"Father." Helen groaned.

Sam laughed before she could stop herself.

"What's so funny?" Helen asked.

"Nothing." Sam replied.

Ashley smirked. "You sounded like us when we whinge at you for something lame."

Helen rolled her eyes. "Cheeky."

"Of course, they're cheeky." Gregory teased. "They're your daughters."

Deciding they really needed to get back on track before things got out of hand and her father started telling stories about her, Helen asked, "What are you doing down here, Father?"

"Same as you, dear." Gregory said. "Trying to save Kanaan."

Ranna stepped in then. Ashley watched the exchange closely, watched Ranna closely. She had a feeling that her grandfather and Ranna were more than just friends. While Ashley watched Ranna and Gregory's interactions Sam watched the brilliance of her mother and grandfather. The way they figured out the problem and the solution, the way they talked through it was the same way she often talked through a problem. Sam couldn't help but smile.

"Sam and I will stay here with Granddad." Ashley said.

"Are you alright with that Samantha?" Helen asked.

Sam jerked from her thoughts on nature versus nurture and blinked. "Yes, that’s fine, you and Ranna go deal with Kanaan. We'll stay here. Gregory's injured, I’ll see to him. But, Mom, be careful.”

"I will sweetheart." Helen said with nod. 

While Gregory helped Helen over the radio, Sam used her field medic training to treat her grandfather's wounds. There were burns and some shrapnel that would need proper medical treatment, but at least he would be able to move a little easier once it was time for them to get the heck out of there. When she looked up at him and smiled it nearly took his breath away. "You remind me of your grandmother."

"I do?" Sam asked in surprise. Helen had never told her she saw it too.

Gregory nodded. "She had a very kind heart and a very strong soul." He shifted his gaze from Sam to Ashley and smiled. "She would be in awe of the two of you."

"We're not very lady like." Ashley said with an amused grin. "We wouldn't really fit her ideas of what a proper young woman should be."

Gregory laughed. "She would have tried her hardest to rectify that. It was quite the struggle with your mother, but my Patty won out in the end. Helen was every bit a proper lady, except when she wasn't."

Sam smiled at that and Ashley laughed. "So, what was Mom like as a girl?"

"Now is not the time for fairy tales." Helen's voice rang out over the radio. "We're done here. Meet us at the pod."

Of course, saving the life of an epic creature wasn't going to be the end of their little adventure in Hollow Earth. The little piss ant who'd poisoned Helen was running afoul in Praxis. The moment they breached the surface Henry and Will had pulled Helen into that mess, leaving Ashley and Sam to continue looking after their grandfather. It suited them just fine. With Helen running after Jekyll and Hyde the girls got their chance to ask the million and one questions they had about wee Helen Magnus.

She had always been kindhearted and would often tend to wounded animals, either on her own or with Gregory's help when she was very small. When she was four, she'd once spent an hour telling off her cat for breaking the wing of the mother bird who sang to her babies outside Helen’s nursery window. When she was nine, she'd accompanied her parents north on a hunting trip and proceeded to tell off the county lord for his ill treatment of a wounded hound. The hound ended up coming home to London with them. When she was fifteen Helen told off the father of a young suitor who had tried to arrange a marriage between her and his son, and then proceeded to rant and rave at her parents for even wasting time listening to the old fool.

"So, Mom's pretty much been telling people off since she was in a crib." Ashley said with a bright laugh.

"Not surprising." Sam added, her laugh matching Ashley's like the harmony of a song.

Helen had been a bright and clever child, always wanting to know more, to learn more, never satisfied with what she knew already. She read and experimented, studied, and questioned everything. All the traits Sam had as a child.

Helen had been bold and adventurous. She was a strong-willed child, brave and unwilling to break under anyone's pressure, though she could bend for the right person. She stood up for herself and others, and when her words were not working, she wasn't afraid to throw a punch if absolutely necessary. She loved a fast horse, a good laugh, and the light in her mother's smile. Maybe, Ashley thought with a smile, she wasn't so different than her mom after all.

"Are you quite finished telling your ridiculous stories, Father?" Helen asked as she came into the room sometime later.

"Nothing ridiculous about the truth, sweetheart." Gregory replied with a cheeky grin.

"Dear lord, do I even what to know what you've been filling their heads with?" Helen asked, after seeing that particular Cheshire grin. 

Sam mirrored her grandfather's cheeky grin as she asked, "How exactly does a small child hide in her mother's skirts for almost an hour without notice?"

Ashley laughed so hard she nearly doubled over. "Talk about hiding in plain sight."

"They were really big skirts and I was a very tiny child." Helen huffed.

"And all just to avoid having your hair brushed." Sam said with a shake of her head.

"I had really long and very curly hair." Helen protested. "And there wasn't anything gentle about my governess. Cranky old cow."

"Now Helen." Gregory teased while his granddaughters laughed at their mother's expense.

Helen softened and smiled lovingly at her father. "They're never going to let me live down whatever you've been telling them."

"I can't wait to hear more." Ashley said brightly. "I bet the others will love hearing about baby Helen too, you'll have to tell Will about her scolding the cat!"

There was a sudden shift in both Helen and Gregory. They clearly knew something Ashley and Sam didn't. It was Sam who figured it out first. "You're not coming to the surface, are you?"

"Not just yet my dear." Gregory confirmed. The disappointed on the faces of both of his granddaughters was heartbreaking. He smiled warmly, reassuringly at them. "Don't worry, you've not seen the last of me. I have plenty of stories left to tell."

"But…" Ashley began.

Sam cut her off. She could see the hurt in their mother's eyes and knew Helen needed a moment with her father. "Come on Ash. I'm sure Ranna is more than ready to have us gone. I bet her pet rock is waiting to throw us out as we speak. Let’s find the others and get our stuff back so we can go as soon as Mom’s ready."

"This sucks." Ashley huffed before walking over to Gregory to hug him goodbye.

Sam hugged him as well. Before letting her go Gregory patted her cheek and took her in, savoring the kindness in her eyes that was his beloved kept alive in the soul of their granddaughter. "We'll see each again soon, I promise."

Sam nodded and smiled. She hoped so. "I'm glad we got to meet."

"As am I, my dear, as am I." Gregory replied.

"Ashley's right." Helen said when she and her father were alone. "This sucks."

"They need me here, Helen." Gregory said softly.

"We need you on the surface." Helen argued. "I need you on the surface."

Gregory shook his head while taking her face in his hands. "You want me on the surface, Helen. You have all that you need in those two beautiful girls of yours. I promise love, we won't be apart forever."

"Will you contact me?" Helen asked, her voice soft and small like a child seeing her father off at the train.

"As soon as I can." He promised.

Helen smiled knowing that was the best she was going to get. "Maybe don’t be so cryptic when you do?"

Gregory laughed and then leaned in and kissed her brow. "Oh, my Helen how I do love you."

Helen wrapped her arms around him. "I love you too, Father."

When she stepped out of her father's room Helen found her girls waiting on her. Seeing them helped a lot, it gave her the strength she needed to walk away from her father. "Come along my darlings. Time to go home."

"So," Sam said after exchanging a look with her sister as they fell into step with their mother. They knew their mother needed a laugh, to smile, so Sam bravely asked. "Throwing crab apples at policemen?"

"Sticking your tongue out at the Archbishop of Canterbury?" Ashley added in.

"Oh, dear god." Helen groaned. "Father!"

Down the hall through his tears Gregory Magnus laughed.


	3. Team Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam's team and Helen's have to team up when their work collides

Somewhere in his vast collection of texts, scrolls, tablets, and images of glyphs Daniel managed to discover the possibility that there was a minor goa'uld imprisoned in a temple in Peru. Deciding that it would be very bad if someone else stumbled on the symbiote, SG1 was sent to retrieve the snake before they ended up with another Hathor or Osiris situation on their hands. Unfortunately, someone else did get to the goa'uld first, or at least it appeared that way. The containment canister was smashed on the temple floor and from the look of the area it had been that way for a while. Sam and her team were able to track down the scavengers and after determining none of them had a snake in their heads, they began questioning them. They swore they had no idea what SG1 was talking about, but it was evident that they were hiding something. It took a little more digging, some hacking on Sam's part, and a few minutes alone with Teal'c to discover whatever they'd taken out of the temple had been handed off to someone who was taking it to the states.

According to their information the mule would be delivering the cargo to a seller in Portland. When Sam and her team arrived at the small barely used perfect for smuggling airport the mule had already departed for the warehouse where he was supposed to meet the seller. Piling into their rented black Dodge Charger Sam headed for that warehouse wondering what exactly did these people think they were selling? Did they think the symbiote was some kind of exotic snake or reptile? Some low level smuggling mule wasn't going to cut it as a host, but outside the containment canister the symbiote couldn't live without one, and Sam highly doubted temple robbers would know anything about the specialized tank Janet had designed to keep the little buggers alive. There was something Sam was missing but she just couldn't put her finger on it.

Pulling up in front of the warehouse, Sam, Teal'c, and Daniel were about to get out of the car when a small black van came barreling out of the warehouse parking lot, tires squealing as he made a hard left and headed down the street. The non-descript cargo van was almost certainly their target; it was almost standard issue for these kinds of things. Question was, did they follow it, or did they poke around the warehouse?

"Sam?" Daniel said from the back seat.

"I'm on it." Sam said as she turned the engine back on and threw the car into drive. Her instincts were telling her to follow, and Sam had gotten pretty good over the years at listening to her instincts. 

Before Sam could even press down on the accelerator a black Chrysler came roaring out of the driveway beside the warehouse, cutting in front of Sam's car, and sped off after the van. Sam figured it was back up, or the deal had gone wrong. The van could be the mule, the black Chrysler the seller? Deciding that they'd figure out the details later Sam slammed on the gas and began to follow. At the first chance she got Sam tried to overtake the Chrysler, and that's when the Chrysler figured out that the Dodge was trying to get at the van as well.

"Damnit." Sam swore when she realized the Chrysler was trying to keep them from getting to the van.

The two cars cut through traffic and took corners at high speeds that made Sam glad they weren't in a residential or highly populated area. She was impressed by the driving skills of the Chrysler, and a part of her had to admit she was having just the tiniest bit of fun. Ok, maybe just maybe, Janet was right about her being an adrenaline junkie.

The chase came to a sudden end when the van made it across a set of train tracks just before the warning arms came down and a train came through. The black Chrysler was force into a sudden stop, its tail end sliding into a skid that left the car inches from the warning arms and slightly askew. Sam slammed on her breaks; turning the wheel just enough to cause her own side slide to block the other car in. She undid her seat belt, opened the door, and pulled her gun all in one fluid motion.

Aiming at the driver's side of the Chrysler Sam called out, "Get out of the car! Hands where I can see them!"

Teal'c covered the passenger side when he noticed that door open while Daniel did his best to offer both his teammates cover.

Sam saw two hands out the window before the door opened. She kept her aim steady as she watched the person slowly emerge from the car. "Hands where I can see them." She repeated. The person slipping out of the driver's side of the car was a dark-haired woman, her back to Sam, and her hands in the air. Once she was out of the car Sam ordered, "Turn around, slowly, keep the hands up."

It was the sound of the familiar voice that made Helen cock her head as she turned to see who the bloody hell had been chasing them. They'd been so close to snagging the smuggled Abnormal, but something had gone wrong and now the smuggler was on the run. She'd been chasing after him when she found herself being chased in returned. When she turned, hands in the air, and found herself looking at her daughter Helen didn't know what to think. "Samantha?"

Sam was stunned to find herself looking into her mother's face and without thinking she instantly lowered her gun. "Mom?"

"What are you doing here?" The two women asked in unison.

"Working." They answered in unison.

Helen lowered her hands and took several steps towards Sam, but before she could say anything Henry called out from the other side of the Chrysler. "Hey, um, Sammie, you wanna tell your big scary friend to stop pointing his, um, snake gun at me?"

Blinking Sam turned to look towards the sound of Henry's voice. "It's alright Teal'c. That's Henry, I've told you about him."

Teal'c looked the smaller man over and then let his Zat fall to his side as it closed into standby mode. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm with her." Henry said quickly while pointing at Helen.

Reaching up to take her sunglasses off and put them on top of her head while holstering her sidearm at the same time Sam asked, "Mom, seriously, what are you two doing here?"

Helen's gaze fell on Teal'c and Daniel who moved to flank Sam. It was an impressive sight, Sam standing there in her dark suit and white shirt looking like some kind of federal agent with those under her command standing at her back. There was a rush of pride that made Helen smile before she replied, "What do you think I'm doing, Samantha."

While Helen had explained her youthful appearance and age to Hammond and SG1 she hadn't gone into details about her work. She'd avoided most of their questions by explaining that "Whereas your work is extraterrestrial mine is in a simulator vain only it's purely terrestrial." It had given Jack a headache and peeked Daniel's curiosity. He was about to ask a flood of questions, but Sam cut him off.

"This thing isn't an Abnormal, Mom." Sam informed her mother. "It's alien."

"I'm pretty sure Chullachaqui are Abnormals, Sammie." Henry said.

Sam looked confused.

"Chullachaqui?" Daniel questioned, and then narrowed his eyes a little. "That's a myth. They're not real."

Helen smiled a smug smile as she said, "Most believe the same of alien life, Doctor Jackson."

Daniel opened his mouth to argue, because everyone knew creatures like the Chullachaqui were just old scary stories, but then he looked over at Teal'c and snapped his mouth shut before saying, "Good point."

"What is a Chullachaqui?" Teal'c asked.

"It's a mythical creature said to come from the Peruvian rainforests." Daniel explained. "If I remember right it's some kind of devil imp that lures people into the judge and then leaves them to die."

Helen looked impressed. "A crude but accurate summery, Doctor Jackson."

A car horn blared behind them followed by several angry voices. The train had passed which meant they were now the roadblock keeping the other drivers from going on their way. Sam sighed. "That van is long gone, and I have a feeling things just got more complicated. Are the two of you set up somewhere?"

"Of course." Helen said with a nod. "Follow us?"

"Yeah, we can do that, seeing as how that's what I was doing it the first place." Sam said with a smirk. "Just try not to channel your inner Jason Bourne this time, the car's a rental."

"Cheeky monkey." Helen said brightly.

Everyone got back in their respective cars and Sam followed Helen to a Sanctuary safe house. Sam could feel Daniel's need to ask questions radiating off him like heat off a sidewalk in summer, but she hoped he would hold off. The Sanctuary wasn't her secret tell, no matter how many times Helen said she was a part of the Magnus Legacy. Daniel knew Sam well enough to know she wouldn't tell him anything, so he held his tongue.

Henry on the other hand, "So the big guy with the gold forehead tattoo is an alien?"

"A humanoid alien, yes. His kind are known as Jaffa." Helen answered.

"Sweet!" Henry said giddily. "My first alien encounter!" He grinned and then looked over at Helen and said, "You're gonna love Comic Con, Doc."

Helen groaned.

Once everyone was at the safe house they settled in and started to share notes. The first thing Helen did was explain the Sanctuary to Daniel and Teal'c to help them understand that what she was going to tell them was fact and not as Daniel had said, a myth. Sam was glad Daniel finally knew because now she could tell him about Vampires and how they'd used the vacuum left by the overthrown gou'ald to seize power.

With the Sanctuary primer out of the way Helen began to explain that her contacts had informed her that a gang of hunters had located a rare and highly prized Chullachaqui in a temple in Peru. She explained that the Chullachaqui physically resembled a small imp like humanoid with a limp caused by one deformed leg, and that it wasn't known to be aggressive on its own, but it was very territorial, and would attack if something or someone trespassed on what they claimed as theirs. "It has a mild form of telepathy that allows it to appear as someone familiar. Thankfully, it isn't anything like Magoi, who can manipulate more than just its own appearance. They can be rather mischievous, however, which is where the legend of them luring people into traps comes from."

“Amazing.” Daniel replied, and then took a breath to ask a litany of questions. 

"Crap." Sam said suddenly.

Daniel frowned, both because of the look on Sam’s face and because he was disappointed that his questions were about to go unanswered. “Sam?” 

"The symbiote." Sam said as she looked at her team. "What if it's not in one of the smugglers? What if it's in the Abnormal? It wouldn't be the first time that a goa’uld was forced to choose a non-human host to survive."

"P2X-338." Teal'c said with a nod of acknowledgement. "Marduk was forced to take that creature as a host."

Sam nodded. "Coniraya's containment can falls, smashes, and the only thing around he can crawl into is the Chullachaqui."

"So, your critter is inside our critter?" Henry asked.

"We don't know for sure." Sam replied. "It could still be in one of the humans, but it's a possibility."

"Well my darling," Helen said with a smile that didn't really fit the situation, but she couldn't stop herself from doing it. "It looks like we will finally get the chance to work together."

"Visiting Grandfather wasn't working together?" Sam teased.

Helen laughed and waved Sam's comment off with a flick of her hand. "No, that was a Magnus family holiday."

"If death and resurrection are on the agenda for the next family trip count me out." Henry said with a shiver.

That caught Daniel's attention and caused his eyebrows to shoot at least three inches over the rim of his glasses. "Sam?"

"Long story." Sam said with a shake of her head.

If the seller and mule weren't the ones with the goa'uld, and the more she thought about it the more Sam was sure they weren't, then it was a safe assumption that they didn't know their red list super rare Abnormal was infected with an alien parasite with malicious tendencies and a desire for world domination. Helen set Henry to the task of finding out who the smugglers were planning to sell the Chullachaqui too, while Sam called the SGC to update her COs after sending Teal'c and Daniel to look over the warehouse to see if they could find anything.

"Is our arrangement suitable to your superior?" Helen asked Sam when she returned from making her call.

"Jack is having a hard time with the concept of Abnormals." Sam admitted. "He kept muttering something about monsters and aliens and being old." She smiled fondly because she really did care a lot about Jack and he just had this way of making her smile, even if it wasn't the same way Janet made her smile. "He trusts my judgment. As long as we put the goa'uld down, he's fine with whatever it takes."

"Are you sure there's no way of separating the symbiote from the host?" Helen asked.

"The Tok'ra can do it with humans but it's still an imperfect procedure with high mortality rates for the host." Sam explained. "I can't imagine they'd agree to do it on a lesser creature, hell some of them still think we're lesser creatures." Helen's look asked the follow up question and Sam smiled because she was able to decipher the question instantly. They really had gotten to know each other well over time. "We've hard earned the respect we have in the galaxy, but we're still seen as little more than toddlers to most of the races we've come across, and toddler is a step up. If one more alien called us infantile, I think Jack would have lost it."

Helen smiled; her eyes bright with the pride she felt in Samantha. "I have no doubt, sweetheart, that the galactic races see us in a favorable light in no small part because of you."

Sam actually blushed at the compliment. "I might have impressed one or two. No one else I know of can list blowing up a sun on their résumé, not even from the seriously well-advanced worlds."

Henry turned to look at them so quickly it was almost cartoonish. "You blew up a sun?"

Sam's blush deepened as she shrugged and used her thumb and forefinger to indicate something little. "Just a small one."

"A Magnus blew up a whole sun." Henry said with a shake of his head. "Why is that not as shocking as it should be?"

Helen laughed.

Deciding she wanted to steer the conversation away from herself, Sam walked over to sit beside Henry and said, "Not that I'm not thrilled to see Henry," She gave him an affectionate smile before looking up at Helen. "But I was starting to think you and Ashley were attached at the hip. Where is she?"

"Grounded." Henry answered before Helen could.

Sam couldn't hide the surprise on her face. "Grounded? Really?" Please don't be about Mick, she thought as her eyes darted to Helen and then back to Henry. "What happened?"

Helen noticed Sam go stiff for a faction of a second, and raised an eyebrow as she wondered what that was about.

"She just can't seem to leave those damn nubbins alone." Henry answered as he typed. "She took Jimmy out of his enclosure and he got loose."

"Another nubbin jail break?" Sam asked with amusement.

Henry snorted. "No, thank god. No, he bit Tesla."

Sam couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up. "Ashley's pet nubbin bit Nikola?"

Henry nodded. "Yeap, so now Ash is on lock down, and seriously pouty over it, until the Doc's one hundred and fifty percent sure biting a vampire didn't turn the little furry menace into something even more evil."

"The nubbins aren't evil, Henry." Helen scolded.

Henry snorted again. "You've never been bit by one of those little sons a bitches."

Just as she'd noticed Sam tense up Helen noticed her relax. Clearly, she'd missed something and it involved both of her daughters and something Samantha felt she would not be pleased with. She wondered if she should look into it or just let it go. Siblings tended to have secrets, and it was actually kind of comforting in an odd way to think Samantha and Ashley had become that close. Both of her girls had a bit of a loner streak in them and she was glad to see them relaying on each other when it would be easy and natural to relay only on themselves.

"What?" Sam asked when she caught the look Helen was giving her.

Helen smiled sweetly. "Nothing darling. Henry, any luck?"

"Maybe." Henry replied. "Give me a couple more minutes."

If they played their cards right Helen could take a chink out of the supply and demand chain that allowed incompetent people from getting their hands on Abnormals. In one action she could identify a major buyer, a broker, and the smuggler's mule could lead her to the smuggling ring involved. Sam had already talked O'Neill into making arrangements to have the men they'd detained in Peru transferred to Helen's South American agents. The only thing Daniel and Teal'c found at the warehouse was bloody bandages and some blood splatter. From looking at the pictures they'd taken Helen was saying that the creature more than likely attacked at some point, meaning one of their targets was injured. It also meant that if the creature did attack it wasn't sedated, as it normally would be, to which Sam explained the symbiote would make sedation hard.

"It's not easy to get the dose right for me and I only have remanence of Jolinar in my system." Sam explained from the back of the surveillance van Helen had been able to damn near magically make appear. "So needless to say, a living active symbiote will neutralize any kind of sedative the captures used to knock out the Chullachaqui."

"You really had one of these alien space worms inside your head, Sammie?" Henry asked from the driver's seat.

"Yes." Sam answered softly. "But Jolinar wasn't a Goa'uld, she was a Tok'ra. They're an off-shoot species, with totally different ideals, beliefs, and practices. It's hard to explain."

Henry thought it over for a moment and said, "So these Tok'ra space worms are like the Jedi, whereas the Goa'uld space worms are like the Sith, similar but separate branches of the Force."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow, his eyes lighting up at the reference. "Very astute metaphor Henry Foss."

Sam smiled brightly. If you wanted to make friends with Teal'c, Star Wars was the perfect way to do it.

Daniel groaned. "Please don't get him started."

"Star Wars fan, T?" Henry asked.

"They’re his favorite movies." Sam replied.

"Perhaps Teal'c could accompany you to Comic Con, Henry." Helen said from the front passenger side seat of the van.

Henry shook his head and beamed a smile at the woman who raised him. "You're not getting out of our bet, Doc."

Helen's smile was sweet, but her eyes said, damn.

"I have been to Comic Con before." Teal'c said to Henry. "It was most enjoyable. Samantha Carter, Janet Fraiser, and Cassandra Fraiser attended with me. Cassandra Fraiser insisted we costume play. That also was enjoyable."

"Sammie cos-played!" Henry said as he whipped around in his seat to look at them. "As what?"

Sam glared at Teal'c. "When did you become so chatty?"

Teal'c raised his eyebrow at her. "Did you not wish for Daniel Jackson and myself to form a camaraderie with your family because we are your close friends? I am attempting to connect with your mother's ward through a common interest."

Sam blinked. "Again, when did you get so chatty?"

In her seat Helen was smirking while stealing glances at Sam though the rearview mirror while also watching for movement in the building they were sitting on. Sam was blushing as she tried to get her large alien friend to be quiet. They had come a long way since first meeting each other, but Helen could tell Sam was still trying to impress her, still trying to conceal things she saw as blemishes, flaws, and especially weaknesses. She hoped someday Samantha would understand she didn't have to hide anything from her, that she would love her, did love her, unconditionally.

"Oh, come on Sammie you gotta tell me!" Henry begged. "Was it something from Star Wars?"

"No." Sam answered, her blush deepening.

"Doctor Fraiser chose what they wore." Teal'c told him.

"Janet huh?" Henry hummed as he tried to figure out if he knew enough about Janet to guess what she could have picked.

Helen decided to show her girl some mercy and said, "We are here for a reason gentlemen. Perhaps we should focus on the task at hand." The subject was dropped, and Sam shot her mother a grateful look. Helen smiled at her daughter and Sam relaxed.

They focused on the mission after that. SG1 listened in the back while the Sanctuary team watched with binoculars. Helen reported seeing the van from earlier in the day. Sam confirmed voices inside a few moments later. Two voices, both male, seemed to be the seller and the mule. The mule was complaining about his injuries and how nothing seemed to knock the thing out. The seller told him to suck it up because the payday would more than make up for it. Now they just had to wait for the buyer. Sam was just about to order Teal'c and Daniel to take up their positions near the back door, out of sight and armed of course, when Henry yelled.

"Xena Warrior Princess!" As he held his iphone up with a picture of her and Janet dressed up as Xena and Gabrielle.

"Son of a… Henry!" Sam looked absolutely mortified. "I'm so telling Ashley to fill your room with nubbins!"

As hard as she tried Helen couldn't stop herself from laughing. Daniel wasn't any better.

The fact that the buyer pulled in driving a Porsche Cayenne told them that he at least had some money. Dealing with people who had lots of expendable cash always made things harder. "I'm not sure which is worse." Sam grumbled. "The fact that he's putting a dangerous wild creature in the back of a Porsche or the fact that Porsche makes an SUV."

Teal'c and Daniel were paired together and covering the back while Sam stuck close to her mother and Henry. Sure, they had experience with Abnormals but they didn't know what it was like to go up against a goa'uld. Funny thing was Helen was thinking the same thing. Sam knew about goa'uld but next to nothing about dealing with Abnormals. Henry just figured that between the two of them they had this covered.

Before Sam gave the go to her boys she reached out and grabbed hold of her mother's arm. When Helen looked back at her the look Sam gave her was one part concerned daughter and one-part Lt. Colonel Carter. The Colonel Carter look was new to Helen and Sam noticed the questioning look she got in return. "Do not get close enough to the creature for the goa'uld to take you as a host." She whispered her warning in a tone that was also new to Helen. "Helen Magnus as a goa'uld would be very, very bad. There is no way to save this creature, Mom. I'm sorry."

It was a little disconcerting to have Samantha staring her down in a way that she herself had stared down others in similar situations. Helen had in fact been trying to formulate a plan that would allow them to capture the creature alive. Perhaps she could separate the parasite from its unwilling host, she had removed those Cabal scarabs from her father, William, and his friend. The look in Samantha's eyes, her eyes mirrored back to her in so many ways, said that maybe this once she'd do as she was told. She gave Sam a firm nod of affirmation. She was giving this mission over to her daughter willingly, proudly. Helen smiled.

Sam returned that smile and then pressed the button on her radio. The two teams moved in silently, quickly finding cover and taking up flanking positions. Spotting Teal'c and Daniel she gave them the hand signal to hold position. She did the same with Helen and Henry once they were in position. Then she looked to see where their targets were.

The buyer had three, no six, bodyguards. Two flanking him and the rest forming a perimeter around the seller, mule, and a live cargo crate. The crate rattled violently, whatever was in it was not happy and hell bent on getting out. Sam signaled Teal'c, Daniel, and Henry to focus on the bodyguards, Helen on the buyer, and she'd take the last two. With the humans out of the way they could deal with the alien possessed creature with a little more ease. She opened her Zat and gave the signal.

The moment the first bodyguard fell unconscious, stunned by a Zat blast, the others reacted. Guns were drawn and there was a brief exchange of gunfire and stunning blasts. The buyer seemed to absorb the energy blasts, so Helen switched over to her Browning and it's tranquilizer rounds. She advanced on the man, who was clearly some kind of Abnormal himself.

"Helen Magnus." He hissed as he raised his gun.

"My reputation precedes me." Helen said with a wicked grin before double tapping her trigger, hitting him with two shots.

The man staggered back but as he did so his fired off a shot.

"Doc!" Henry called out while firing several more tranquilizer rounds at the man.

"Mom!" Sam yelled at the same time.

Helen saw the flash and prepared for the impact of a bullet but what she got instead was the impact of a very large, very solid body. When her mind caught up with the sudden movement of her body being unexpectedly moved not of its own accord, she realized Teal'c had shielded her. Her eyes went wide in surprise and concern. "Teal'c?"

"Are you unharmed Doctor Magnus?" Teal'c asked as he held the woman in his arms.

"Yes, fine, thanks to you." Helen answered. "Are you alright?" Her concerned blue eyes began scanning him. "You're bleeding!"

Teal'c offered her a rare smile. "Just a flesh wound."

"Daniel, Henry, get those men bound." Sam ordered as she made her way over to Teal'c and her mother. "Mom? Teal'c?"

"We are fine, Colonel Carter." Teal'c reassured as he released Helen from his protective embrace.

Sam eyed Teal'c's wound with an experienced gaze. For him it was just a scratch, even without Junior to heal it up.

"He's been injured, Samantha." Helen said as she looked over the wound with a doctor's eyes. A doctor with no knowledge of how a Jaffa worked.

"It's ok, Mom." Sam reassured. "For Teal'c that's a paper cut." She pulled a field dressing from her flak jacket and applied it to Teal'c’s wound. "What about you? Are you alright?"

It took a moment for her to reply as Helen took a self-inventory. "Yes, thanks to Teal'c."

Sam nodded, gave Teal'c one hell of a megawatt smile, and then called out, "Henry!"

"Yeah Sammie?" Henry replied as he rushed over to the blonde.

Sam pulled her Zat from its holster as she approached the crate. "If we fire on it at the same time the mix of energies might knock it out."

"Worth a shot." Henry said as he took up a stance beside Sam. "But I thought we weren't taking it alive?"

"Worth a shot." Sam echoed with a shrug.

They fired into the crate at the same time. The creature screamed. There was a long pause and just as Sam was taking a step closer the creature charged at the front of the crate, repeatedly. Sam didn't even have the chance to jump back from the creature because Helen was pulling her back.

Two round eyes peaked out from the bars of the crate. They glowed. "Jafffaa." The creature said in a garbled, strangled growl.

"Holy crap! Since when can those things talk!" Henry said as he pointed his stunner at it.

"Jaaaffaa" The creature repeated. Its eyes were locked on Teal'c. It rattled and beat at the crate in a fury that could only be described as otherworldly. "Kkrreeee."

Teal'c aimed his Zat at it, the second blast would kill it, but Sam stopped him. Pulling out a small dart gun she fired several darts into the cage. The creature roared and charged at the bars again. This time it was able to break free and lunged right for Sam.

Double tap.

The creature fell to the floor.

Sam looked up and to her left with wide eyes. Helen stood there with her gun still trained on the creature.

When Sam went to say something, Helen shook her head. "We'll talk about it later."

Why didn't Sam like the sound of that? She'd worry about that later. With the creature dead and the men apprehended they were able to close out their team effort. As they waited for Helen's people to collect the smugglers Sam ordered Teal'c to secure the creature's body. "I'm sorry I can't give you the Chullachaqui because of the symbiote." Sam said as she stood beside her mother. "But I'm sure Janet wouldn't mind sharing her labs if you want to come back with us."

Helen knew that given the circumstance that was the best she was going to get, so if she wanted to have a look at this rare Abnormal she'd have to bend a little. Besides, it would be nice to spend even a little bit of time with Sam and her family. "Shall I bring Henry or send him home?"

Sam huffed. "After the stunt he pulled in the van I should say send him home."

"But you're not?" Helen replied.

"If he has the right clearance and signs the right paperwork it would be kind of cool to show him the Stargate." Sam replied with a silly smile.

Henry heard that and let out a huge woo-hoo!

When they returned to Cheyenne Mountain and the SGC, Teal'c was sent to Janet for his wound, Daniel handled logging in the creature's corpse, and after getting Henry the proper clearance Sam and Helen took him up to the conference room. Sam had the biggest smile on her face as she quickened her step so she was ahead of Henry. She turned to face him and started walking backwards towards the windows. "Ready to see the most amazing piece of tech you'll ever lay eyes on?"

"Yes please." Henry begged.

Sam held up her hand to stop him before he could see below. "Wait." She ordered, and then looked back over her shoulder.

"Stop teasing me Sammie it's mean." Henry replied.

"Payback." Sam replied with a grin, which Henry and Helen could see reflected in the glass. Several moments passed and then she turned and said, "Ok, now."

Henry stepped over to the windows and looked down. He hadn't really known how to picture Sam's Stargate, the ideas and principles behind it were just so epic. When he saw the giant ring down below it took a moment for it to really resister. "Wow." He said as he tried to take it all in. His eyes were darting from one part, one connection, one glyph to another, and then to another. "It's beautiful."

"It gets better." Sam beamed and then checked her watch. "Four, three, two, one."

This Helen had to see. Just as Samantha had said one the inner part of the ring began to spin, and then the clamps set around it began to lock onto one of the symbols. After the seventh clamp locked into place a burst of solid, yet fluid energy shot out from the center of the ring before retreating and forming a simmering pool of blue energy. Moments later a team of four stepped right out of the simmering pool before it collapsed and disappeared.

"The wormhole energy expands into our space before settling into the event horizon." Sam explained.

Henry stared open mouthed, and when he did finally speak his voice quivered with awe and excitement. "That is the most amazingly stunningly beautiful thing I have ever seen."

Sam beamed as she replied, "I know, right?"

They had to pull Henry away from the window for the debriefing. Jack listened to Sam retell the events that led up to that moment and then said, "Good job, Carter. Only, just kill the damn thing next time." He huffed at her and then said, "You spend too much time with Danny boy. Sometimes you just gotta kill stuff."

Sam barley managed not to roll her eyes. "Yes Sir."

Jack thanked Helen and Henry for their help and then dismissed the meeting. Daniel showed Helen down to Janet's labs so she could assist in the autopsy, and Sam gave Henry a look around. When Helen finally made her way to Sam's lab after she and Janet had finished their work she found her daughter and foster son sitting around Sam's workbench with bits and pieces of gadgets spread out amount a dozen or more fountain glasses, each with various remains of blue jello. She stood in the doorway and watched, listening to the rapid-fire way Sam and Henry were talking about something that completely went over her head, and smiled.

"Henry," She finally called out, interrupting their conversation. "Janet is leaving for the evening and I'd like you to go with her. Once you're able I need you to contact Will and update him on what's happened."

"Aww Doc." Henry whined. "Sammie and I…"

"You'll finally get to meet Cassandra." Helen said with a smile.

Henry's eyes lit up. "Oh, I can ask her about Comic Con!"

"Don't you dare!" Sam warned.

Henry flashed her a grin and a little wave. "Later Sammie!"

Sam watched Henry leave with an odd sense of confusion, happiness, a little sadness, and maybe even a little longing. "He's such a different experience than Mark."

Helen knew that look. Sam was wondering what it would have been like to have grown up with Henry. She knew that look well having caught it in her mirror several times when she found herself thinking about what life would have been like if she'd gotten to raise Sam. "Samantha."

"Hmm?" Sam replied as she turned her gaze from the doorway Henry had just walked through to her mother.

"You made a point of telling me there was no saving the Chullachaqui, you were very clear on how dangerous the goa'uld are, and then you tried taking it alive anyway." Helen said as she moved closer to her daughter.

Sam's posture shifted. She went a little tense, maybe a little defensive, because she didn't know where this was going. "I wasn't going to risk you getting taken or hurt."

"But risking yourself was alright?" Helen asked.

"Abnormals are important to you." Sam replied as she looked into her mother's eyes. "If the thing had been on the loose things would have been different. I'd have ordered it killed without flinching. But it was, for the most part, secure. I didn't see the harm in at least trying to neutralize it without killing it."

"Samantha." Helen said firmly as she took hold of Sam's chin and looked her right in the eyes. "No Abnormal is more important to me than you are. You and Ashley are my life. If it meant keeping my children safe, I'd burn the whole bloody Sanctuary to the ground. I was forced to choose once before and Ashley paid the price for my choices. Never again." The last two words weren't just her promising to never again put the Sanctuary before one of her children, it was a command; never again should Sam ever think of risking herself for any reason, especially if it was over something daft like pleasing her. "Are we clear young lady?"

Sam nodded as best she could with Helen's tight grip on her. "Yes ma'am."

"Good." Helen said softly and with a nod as she let Sam go. "Don't think you're too old or live too far away for me not to ground you. I'm sure Janet wouldn't mind filling in as my proctor." Sam looked as if she were going to say something, but Helen gave her a look that shot down any thought of complaint or argument. "Now," Helen said as she softened and smiled. "Show me what you've been working on, or at least what you're allowed to show me, then we'll go stop Henry from prying all your secrets out of Cassandra."

Her head was spinning, and her emotions were so mixed up she knew she'd have to talk to Janet to figure them out but Sam smiled and nodded. It was silly, she was a grown woman who never felt the need to show off or have her work praised, but Sam really liked sharing her work, her ideas and thoughts, her accomplishments with her mother. Maybe she was trying to make up for all those times little Sam never got do it. Sam didn't even really mind being scolded like a child because it meant she had someone who cared about her. It was really nice having a mom again and Sam would do anything to keep it that way.


	4. Sudden Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Ashley get to meet their mother's new companion Charlotte

Everyone was out and the house was quiet. 

Will and Kate were in India helping the new Head of House with a few things Ravi had left unfinished. Henry was in London visiting Erika. The Big Guy's five years were up so he was out on personal leave. Ashley had been sent to track down and capture a harmless but bothersome Abnormal in the Camelback Mountains of Arizona. Leaving Helen alone for the first time in ages, and she had every intention of using the peace and quiet well. 

Ashley had made a bit of a fuss over her assignment because she knew it would take time and cut into the plans she had made. So, she had taken it upon herself to make a little pit stop on her way to Arizona. Thankfully, her sister was actually on the planet and able to get the time off. Sam had been unbelievably busy and barely had time to talk over the phone. They hadn't seen each other in months, not even over video calls, so Sam was more than willing to spend a few days with her sister. Together they were able to find and capture the ghoul in three days, days quicker than the last time the species had been tracked down, just as Ashley had hoped.

"You know if the Air Force and kicking alien ass ever gets boring you could join the family business." Ashley said as she and Sam unloaded their prize from the van.

Sam chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind."

They took the creature to intake and settled it in for the mandatory forty-eight-hour quarantine, a relatively new requirement following the pinepex incident, and then headed upstairs to check in with their mother. Since Sam had been given a week off, and with Janet in DC for a conference that coincided with Cassie's class trip, she let Ashley talk her into coming back with her to surprise Helen. It was staggering how busy saving the world from aliens and monsters kept a person, so it had been far too long since Sam had been able to see Helen face to face and she found herself really looking forward to spending a few days with her.

When they got to Helen's study, they were surprised to find it empty. "It's two o'clock in the afternoon." Ashley said, puzzled. "Mom's always in here at this time if she isn't on a mission or in the labs."

"Maybe she was called away on something?" Sam asked with a touch of disappointment in her voice.

"She'd have sent me a message." Ashley said with a shake of her head. "She's got to be here somewhere. Come on. Let’s check the kitchen. Maybe she went to brew some tea or something."

Helen wasn't to be found in the kitchen, or her labs, or the library, or the parapet, so after checking the study again they decided to see if Helen was in her room for some reason. There were only a handful of reasons why Helen would be in her room at this time of day, a shower and a change of clothes being the most logical, but she was also known to hide in there when she was avoiding someone. The house was empty though, no one to hide from, still, it was the only semi-logical place left to check.

"I hope she isn't sick." Ashley said as she and Sam made their way down the hall towards Helen's bedroom. "When Mom's sick she's either a real grouch because some common illness dared to make Helen Magnus feel like crap, or she's super cuddly and pouty, which is kind of super cute but annoying because then you end up getting sick."

Sam laughed. "Sounds like Janet. Maybe it's a doctor thing? She takes it so personally when she gets sick. Like catching a cold is a personal affront against her or something." When they reached Helen's door Ashley reached for the doorknob. "Shouldn't we knock first?"

"I never knock." Ashley said as she turned the handle. "If she wants to keep me out, she locks the door." The knob turned easily and Ashley beamed as if this somehow proved her right. "See," She said as she pushed open the door. "Not locked, no reason for us not to just walk right…"

The last thing either of Helen Magnus' daughters expected to see was the scene they'd walked in on. Helen's naked body was stretched out over the slender body of a woman with short dark hair, the fingers of their left hands were laced together and stretched out above their heads, the woman's right hand was lost in Helen's dark hair, her body was bowing, arching upwards into Helen's. By some small mercy everything from waist to knee was shrouded by Helen's expensive crimson sheets, including Helen's right hand, but the curl of toes and press of knees spoke volumes.

"Holy shit!" Ashley exclaimed.

"Sorry!" Sam squeaked out before yelling at her sister. "I told you to knock first! Close the door Ash!"

It took a second for Ashley's brain to reboot but then she did as her sister said and closed the door to their mother's bedroom. She looked up at Sam with wide eyes before her shock and surprise ebbed away and she began to laugh a deep belly laugh that doubled her over.

Sam was pressed up against the wall next to the doorway in shock. It was the sound of Ashley's laughter that snapped her out of it. "You're laughing?"

"It's funny!" Ashley argued.

"That was not one of the stereotypical childhood memories I needed to actually live through." Sam groaned. She was blushing from the tips of her toes to the tips of her ears.

Ashley grabbed Sam's arm and pulled her away from the wall and back down the corridor. "Well that explains why she pretty much sent everyone away for the week."

Sam just shook her head trying to dislodge what she just saw and then she suddenly stopped, looked at Ashley with a puzzled look and asked, "Wait, was that a woman?"

"Yeap." Ashley said easily.

"So Mom's…"

"Bisexual? Yeah, didn't you know?" Ashley cut in. "Well not that she'd ever use that label, she hates labels. She'd explain it as," Ashley paused to clear her throat and then continued in her best English accent, "I'm attracted to people, personalities, not body parts." She smiled triumphantly at her rather good imitation of Helen's accent before speaking normally again. "I personally think that when you've lived as long as Mom has, sausage for dinner every night gets boring."

Sam groaned while reaching out to shove her sister as they started walking again. "Ashley!"

Ashley laughed. "What?" She laughed more when she noticed Sam blushing again. "You're blushing!"

"How are you not?" Sam asked.

She thought about it and then shrugged. "I don't know. Mom's never made sex out to be something to be embarrassed over. Oh, you should totally ask her about Katherine Hepburn, no seriously, ask her, I've been trying to get her to tell me about that one for years."

"Yeah, no, I don't think so." Sam replied with a shake of her head, though a tiny seed of curiosity was planted.

There was a sudden wicked gleam in Ashley's eyes as she smirked at her sister and said, "Aww what's wrong Sammie? Don't like to think about Mom doing to the ladies what you do to your lady?"

"Oh my god!" Sam protested. She was now so flushed; so red with embarrassment it felt like she was having a hot flash. "You're rotten! You're absolutely rotten!"

Ashley laughed so hard she couldn't breathe.

Back in her bedroom Helen was sitting up with a look of frustration and annoyance while her girlfriend looked mortified. What had started as a dalliance had turned into something more since Helen had first met Charlotte Benoit in Grande Comore. Something Helen had kept selfishly to herself, which is why she'd orchestrated everything the way she did so she could finally share certain aspects of her life with Charlotte without having to worry about the peanut gallery.

"Who?" Charlotte sputtered out past her embarrassment.

"My daughters." Helen answered and then with a harrumph added, "Who I assure you normally have better manners than that."

Charlotte's embarrassment quickly turned into curiosity. "Daughters? You have kids?"

Helen nodded as she shifted a bit so she could look at Charlotte as she spoke, "Those two are my flesh and blood. And there's my boy, Henry, whom I raised after his parents were killed."

"They're grown." Charlotte said as she sorted out things in her mind.

"Yes, quite." Helen replied and then added, "Most of the time."

"So that longevity thing, not a joke." Charlotte replied.

Helen bit her bottom lip as she watched everything she'd told Charlotte really hit home. "Are you still alright with all of this?"

Charlotte nodded and gave Helen a reassuring smile as she said, "I'm good if you are."

"Haven't I been proving to you just how good I am?" Helen purred as she pushed her lover back down to the mattress.

After showering and changing into lounge wear Ashley and Sam made themselves comfortable in Helen's study. Sam had popped popcorn while Ashley raided the wine cellar. They'd gotten the fire going in the fireplace and had staked claim to the comfy sofa. Ashley knew Helen wouldn't come right after them but would find them when she was ready too. Though the memory of what she saw would haunt her forever, Sam was over the shock and discomfort of the experience and had even dared to ask Ashley, "So, other than Kate Hepburn anyone else interesting in Mom's past?"

"Eleanor Roosevelt." Ashley answered before throwing a piece of popcorn into the air and catching it in her mouth. 

Sam's eyes went wide. "Seriously?"

Ashley nodded. "There's a section in the catacombs that no one's supposed to look through."

"So of course, you looked thought it." Sam said with an amused shake of her head and an impish smile.

"Of course." Ashley beamed. "I found an old box of letters written to Mom from Mrs. Roosevelt that leave little to the imagination."

Maybe someday Sam would work up the nerve to ask Helen about her romantic past. For now, she'd stick to listening to Ashley recall some of what she remembered from those letters. Laughter came so easy with Ashley and before long they were teasing and giggling like teenage girls, complete with popcorn throwing. Of course, Sam was the one throwing it at Ashley when Helen walked into the room.

"Are you enjoying yourselves?" Helen asked as she took the pair in. "We heard you in the foyer, cackling like a couple of hens."

"We are having fun, thanks." Ashley said with a bright smile. "Wine?"

"That had best not be one of my good bottles." Helen scolded. The fact that Ashley proceeded to hide the bottle made her shake her head as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared.

Ashley gave her sweetest smile. "So, gonna introduce us to your new friend, Mom?"

Helen softened under that smile. Turning to Charlotte she reached for her hand and drew her closer before looking at her girls once more. "Charlotte, these are my daughters. The one throwing popcorn at her sister in my study," The way she emphasized the words in my study was clearly meant to scold Sam despite the easy almost sweet tone Helen was using. "Is my eldest. Samantha."

Sam squirmed a bit under Helen’s gaze. "Ashley started it!"

"Hey!" Ashley protested as she shoved Sam playfully.

Helen glared at them both.

Sam pushed Ashley back and then looked up at their mother and said, "Sorry." Then she turned her gaze on Charlotte and smiled softly. "Hello, nice to meet you."

Helen smiled at Sam before turning her attention to Ashley. "The cheeky one is my youngest. Ashley."

"Hi." Ashley said with a wave.

"Girls, this is Doctor Charlotte Benoit." Helen finished.

"It's nice to meet you both." Charlotte said with a nervous smile.

While Sam smiled warmly Ashley was smirking as she watched their mother led her new girlfriend to the chairs across from them. "So," The youngest Magnus said as she continued to eye the woman. "Are you a Mom kind of doctor or a Sam kind of doctor?"

Charlotte looked confused but answered, "Um, I have PhDs in Biology and Virology."

"So, a Sam kind of doctor." Ashley said with an approving nod.

"Samantha has PhDs in Astrophysics and Engineering." Helen said proudly.

"Does astrophysics play a huge part in Sanctuary work?" Charlotte asked.

"Samantha doesn't work for the Sanctuary." Helen corrected.

"Yet." Ashley said with a cheeky grin at her sister.

Sam rolled her eyes at Ashley before telling Charlotte. "I'm in the Air Force."

"A lieutenant colonel in the Air Force." Helen beamed.

Deciding to steer the conversation away from herself, Sam told Charlotte that Ashley was the one who worked with their mother. Ashley was always willing to talk about the adventures she had with Helen and the others, despite how Helen felt about her doing so. It didn't last long; Helen did put an end to Ashley's stories before they got to out of hand. Ashley didn't mind she simply looked at her mother and her new girlfriend and asked, "So how did you two meet?"

"It was on Grande Comore actually." Helen replied.

"Ha!" Ashley hooted as she pointed at her mother accusingly. "I knew there had to be a reason you extended your stay! You never take spontaneous vacations!"

The awkwardness easily faded away as the four women shared the rest of the pilfered wine. They talked and shared stories that helped them get to know each other. Helen slowly began to relax after having a brief moment of panic when she realized she was sleeping with a woman her daughter's age, but that faded quickly because she knew it couldn't be helped. When Sam mentioned feeling a little woozy from the wine because they hadn't eaten since leaving Arizona, Ashley quickly volunteered to handle dinner for all of them. Sam should have known something was dodgy with Ashley's offer but she was starving and just shy of a little drunk, so she wasn't thinking clearly.

Ashley disappeared to order dinner and when she returned with it, she had the biggest grin on her face. Sam stared at her sister wide-eyed when Ashley set the Italian sausages on the table right in front of her. She couldn't stop herself; her thoughts went right to the comment Ashley had made earlier in regards to their mother's sexuality and she blushed.

"Samantha?" Helen's voice was soft and concerned when she noticed the flush. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine, Mom." Sam said tightly as she glared at her sister.

Helen was frowning a bit. "Are you sure sweetheart? You're rather flushed."

"It's just the wine, I'll be fine once I've eaten." Sam reassured with a warm smile before turning back to her sister and whispering, "I hate you so much right now."

Ashley laughed gleefully as she plopped down into her seat.

Early the next morning while Charlotte was still asleep Helen once again found her daughters waiting in her study. She'd felt like things had gone well but she wasn't really sure. It was a little unsettling that she found herself wanting her girls to like Charlotte. She wasn't normally the type to care about the options of others when it came to her romances, but there was just something about this woman and she really wanted things to go well with her. It really had been a very long time since Helen allowed herself a relationship like this, and after everything she'd gone through in recent years it was long overdue. How long it would last, she couldn't say but at least for now she wanted this thing with Charlotte to be more than just a fling.

"Good morning my darlings." Helen greeted, as she made straight for the pot of tea on the coffee table. Sam and Ashley responded and then Helen groaned as she took her seat. "Haven't I gotten you away from that foulness yet, Samantha?"

"What?" Sam replied as she looked down at her mug and then back up at her mother. "I love you but getting me to give up coffee is never going to happen, Mom."

"Where's Charlotte?" Ashley asked when it was clear the woman wasn't right behind Helen.

"Still sleeping." Helen replied. "That third bottle of wine might have been pushing it."

Ashley chuckled. "Well at least it was us drinking it and not Nikola."

"True." Helen agreed and then frowned a bit. "It's going to be rather expensive replenishing what he's managed to drink in the last four years."

"I could rig something that would give him a zap every time he reached for a bottle." Sam offered. "I'd have to figure out how to work around the magnetic vampire thing though."

There was a little more light banter while they waited for Helen's strong black tea to work its way through her system. Once she began nibbling on a scone Ashley knew it was safe to get a little deeper with the topics of conversation. "How serious are you and Charlotte?"

"It's still early days." Helen answered after a moment of thought. "I like her a lot, Ashley. I enjoy spending time with her, and I like having her around."

Ashley smiled and nodded. "I noticed. I think it's great, Mom. You've been alone way to long."

"Thank you, Ashley." Helen said with a warm smile.

"It's nice to see you doing something for yourself for a change." Sam added in. "And Charlotte seems really nice, pretty smart too."

"Just hope she's smart enough not to hurt you." Ashley said firmly. "Cause I could feed her to something, or Sammie could leave her on a hostile planet."

Sam nodded her agreement to that statement, and it made Helen laugh softly. Knowing that her daughters approved made Helen feel good, not that she would have allowed their disapproval to stop her from seeing Charlotte, but having it was just a really nice bonus.

"So," Sam said now that that little matter was out of the way. "About Kate Hepburn and Eleanor Roosevelt?"

Helen's eyes went a little wide as she said, "How did you… Ashley Magnus have you been in my things again!?"


	5. Parting Glass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob Carter and Selmak have come to the end of their journey. Sam says goodbye to her father and Helen makes a promise she intends to keep.

She had done some remarkable things during her time at Stargate Command. She had discovered and cured new diseases, preformed unimaginable surgeries, and documented new alien life forms. She was the leading human expert on symbiote physiology and biology for goodness sake! And yet she was completely helpless to do anything to help her love's father. Janet felt powerless and she hated it. Why hadn't Jacob come to them sooner? Why hadn't they warned them that Selmak was at the end of his life and that Jacob would be his last host? Why hadn't she been working on something to counteract the toxin a symbiote releases into the host when they die? Jacob Carter should not be dying. Maybe in one of those alternate realities where she dies on P3X-666, but now here, not in a world where she should have seen this coming.

But how could she have seen this coming? They had no way of knowing Selmak was so old, no one told them, not even Jacob. Jacob said Selmak should have died weeks ago but refused to give up until Anubis was defeated, and then things had just been made that much worse by the Replicators. They'd taken care of one foe but Selmak had given too much in that fight to last any longer. It was just too damn late. Janet walked over with a syringe full of morphine and injected it into Jacob's IV. "That should keep you comfortable, Sir."

Jacob reached out to grab Janet's arm before she could move away from him. "Janet." He waited until those big doe eyes were on him before saying, "You're going to marry my daughter. I think you can stop calling me sir." She gave him an uncertain smile and nodded her head. He didn't blame her for feeling a little awkward, he hadn't exactly been welcoming and open towards her when it came to Sam, and now here he was on his deathbed trying to finally let her in. "I owe you an apology."

That surprised Janet and despite her best effort, it showed on her face. "You don't have anything to apologize for, S… Jacob."

"No, I do." Jacob replied. "I wasn't very supportive of you and Sam in the beginning, and I should have been. I'm an old man and sometimes old ways are hard to break, even when you have a much older, much wiser being in your head telling you you're being a damn idiot. I ended up hurting Sam, and hurting Sam hurt you, and for that I'm sorry."

"You came around." Janet said as she took his hand. "That's what matters."

"I shouldn't have needed to come around." Jacob said with a sigh and shake of his head. "I should have been accepting and supportive right from the start, and I wasn't, which is why I don't have the right to ask a favor of you but I'm going to anyway." He didn't give her time to respond. "Make her happy, Janet."

He'd caught her off guard again. Janet had no idea what to expect him to say, what kind of favor he'd ask her for, but even though she'd been a little rattled her response was instant. "I try to, Jacob, every day."

"Love her." Jacob said next.

"With everything that I am." Janet promised as she gently squeezed his hand.

Jacob put his other hand over the one Janet had in his left. "Then I know she'll be alright."

Barely an hour later, standing in the observation booth Janet watched as Sam sat and spoke with Jacob. She would be there for Sam; she would offer comfort and support, but would it be enough? She loved Sam so much, and it was killing her to know how much pain Sam was in. Janet believed it when Sam said she was just grateful for the extra years they'd had together, and for the second chance she got to get to know her dad, but accepting what was happening wasn't going to make it hurt any less. She knew Sam well enough to know that she would try and bare the worst of her grief alone and Janet couldn't let her do that.

Picking up the phone Janet dialed for an outside line. Then she dialed a private number that only a handful of people knew. When the voice on the other end answered she tried to keep her voice steady, but it wasn’t easy, "Hi, its Janet. Sam needs you."

Sam was grateful, she really was. She'd gotten extra time with her dad. Time they used to get to know each other better than they had her entire life. She had also been able to give her dad the adventure of a lifetime, by bringing him to the Tok'ra. Jacob had loved every minute of exploring the galaxy and saving the greater good on such a large scale. He had felt useful again, and Sam had given him that. Her dad was a hero. He was her hero. And she didn't want to let him go, but she had no choice in the matter, so she was trying to make the best of the short time they had left. They sat and talked, he told her he wanted her to be happy and that he was truly glad that she had Janet in her life. He reminded her not to let her commitment to the Air Force overshadow the rest of her life.

"It's one of my biggest regrets." Jacob said as he looked into Sam's eyes. "I should have been there for you and Mark, and your mother. I should have put my family first."

"You were taking care of us, Dad, the best way you knew how." Sam replied.

Jacob smiled a sad smile. "Don't be like me, Sam. Be better than me." He turned his gaze up to the window where Janet was and said, "She loves you."

Sam looked up, her eyes locking with Janet's. "I know. I love her too."

"I just want you to be happy, kid." Jacob said softly.

"She makes me very happy, Dad." Sam reassured.

Turning to look at his little girl it was clear Jacob was fighting back tears. "I'm sorry I'm gonna miss the wedding."

"You'll be there, Dad." Sam said, her own eyes burning with the tears she was holding back. "You and Mom, you'll be there, you’ll be there together."

Jacob reached up and caressed Sam's cheek.

"You should rest, Dad." Sam's voice was thick and soft. She didn't want her dad to hear just how close to crying she was. Old habits die hard. She could cry in front of Janet, even Helen, but not her dad, never her dad. Standing up Sam leaned in and kissed his brow. "I'll be back in a little while."

"I'll be here." Jacob promised.

Sam smiled as brightly as she could. Stepping out into the hall she was on the verge of breaking down, but she fought it. The door slid closed behind her and she closed her eyes. She could hold it together long enough to get to her lab or her quarters, she could. Sam raised her hands to cover her face as she tried to get herself under control. Her body was starting to tremble.

"Samantha." Janet hadn't needed to explain, though she had. The tone of her voice had let Helen know something was wrong. Helen hadn't hesitated. She dropped everything, packed a quick bag, and flew the plane herself. Her daughter needed her, everything else be damned.

The warm English voice made Sam's head snap up and her tear shimmering eyes go wide. She wasn't sure why she was so surprised to see Helen standing there but she was. Surprise gave way to gratitude as Sam took the first step towards Helen. She was normally very careful about her image on base, but right now Sam didn't care about coming across as an emotional girl. Her dad was dying and in that moment, Sam was a very emotional little girl who really needed her mother. Helen opened her arms and Sam rushed into them. "Mom."

"I'm here, love." Helen said as she wrapped her arms around her daughter.

"My Dad's dying." Sam told her as she clung to Helen.

"I know." Helen said as her arms tightened around Sam. "Janet told me. I'm so sorry sweetheart."

Sam realized then that Janet must have called Helen. She was grateful for that and would have to thank her later. Sam would never have thought to do it herself. She'd have convinced herself she could handle this all on her own. Janet knew her better than she knew herself at times.

When she pulled away from Sam, Helen reached up and brushed the tears off her cheeks. "Where were you heading?"

"Nowhere in particular." Sam replied. “Just needed to be alone.” 

Helen nodded her understanding. "Why don't we grab a cup of coffee?"

"You hate coffee." Sam countered as she gave her mother a look. "You'd drink water from Sally's tank before you'd drink coffee."

"This is true." Helen said as she began guiding Sam down the hall. "But you drink coffee and the walk to the commissary will help."

Sam nodded as if she had a choice in the matter. "I have tea in my lab and an electric kettle."

Helen understood and nodded. Sam didn't want anyone to see her this way despite the fact that they would completely understand. She'd felt the weight of sadness as soon as she walked into the underground base. Sam wasn't just losing her father; the SGC was losing one of their own. Helen knew that feeling and had sympathy for everyone, but her focus and concern was strictly for her daughter.

Once they were in Sam's lab Helen set the kettle to boil while Sam busied herself with getting the tea, sugar, milk and mugs out. They didn't say a word. They didn't need to. Sam just needed to know Helen was there. She needed to remember that she was Helen Magnus’ and Jacob and Debra Carter's daughter, born strong, raise strong. She might tremble a bit, but she would not crumble. Once she was feeling better Sam looked up at Helen, "Thank you."

"You're welcome sweetheart." Helen said as she brushed at Sam's hair. When Sam got a call requesting her presence in the conference room Helen reassured her, "I'm not going anywhere, Samantha."

As she made her way up to see what Jack and Teal'c needed Sam found herself thanking someone, she wasn't sure whom, that Helen was immortal. She's lost one mom, who the hell knows what happen to Thomas, and now she was losing her dad. She didn't want to lose Helen too.

Helen remained in Sam's lab, though that wasn't what she meant when she'd told Sam she wasn't going anywhere, when Janet came to tell her that Jacob had asked to see her. It surprised her and it must have showed because Janet reassured her it was all right. Jacob just seemed to be tying up loose ends. Helen and Jacob had been cordial towards one another for Samantha's sake, but things remained awkward between them the handful of times they'd meet face to face. As she made her way down to the infirmary, she wondered what kind of loose end she and Jacob had. Janet continued on once they got to the door of Jacob's room, though she did pause to give Helen a reassuring smile. Whatever he had to say to Helen it was obviously meant to be in private. Pressing the door release she took a breath as it slid open and then stepped inside. Her heart broke. It had to be hard for Sam to see her father so weak. "Jacob?"

He turned his head to look at her. "Helen. Thank you for coming."

"I must admit I was a little surprised when Janet said you wanted to see me." Helen replied as she took a few steps closer.

"We haven't exactly bonded." Jacob said with a weak chuckle.

"No, we haven't." Helen agreed.

"To be honest, because let’s face it all I have left right now is honesty, I saw you as a threat." Jacob told her.

Helen smiled. "I resent the bloody hell out of you."

Jacob laughed a little harder which made him start to wheeze and fight for breath. Helen quickly jumped into doctor mode, grabbing the proper treatments, and administering them. When he could breathe with ease again Jacob said, "Thanks."

"Your welcome." Helen replied.

"I know you didn't give her up by choice." Jacob said as he looked up at her. He saw Sam in her and that still hurt because he used to see Debra in Sam, but now it was this woman's features that smiled back at him when he looked at his little girl. "But thank you for Sam."

So, this is where the conversation was heading. No, she hadn't given Sam up of her own free will, and truth be told if she'd had a choice in the matter, she'd have fought hard to keep her daughter with her. But what was done could not be undone, and it had not been done by this man. "I should be thanking you as well." Helen replied. "You raised a wonderful you woman, Jacob. One we can both be very proud and honored to call our daughter."

Jacob reached for Helen's hand and held it as tightly as he could manage. He looked up into eyes that mirrored his daughter's as he said, "Take care of our girl?"

Helen nodded, her eyes reassuring him more than her words. "Always Jacob, I promise. Rest knowing, I love her, Jacob, and I will always be there for her, I will always look after her, you have my word."

Jacob nodded and then let go of her hand. The pain medication was kicking in again and he was drifting back to sleep. Helen lingered a moment longer to make sure he was medically as stable and comfortable as possible and then left the room. Janet was waiting and she gave her a soft smile. "Samantha?"

"She'll be down soon." Janet replied. "We don't always get to stop even for something like this."

Helen nodded her understanding. "Our work has a lot in common."

Jacob died holding Sam's hand. Leaning in Sam kissed his brow and whispered into his ear, "Goodbye Daddy." It wasn't until that moment she realized she'd never again hear him call her kid again. She couldn't stop her tears then. "I love you."

Because of the symbiote Jacob would be cremated and his ashes interred beside Debra. He would be given full military honors, which meant Sam would need to have her dress uniform cleaned. Where had she put her cap when she moved into Janet's? Should she send Janet's uniform to the cleaners too? Did they have time for the cleaners? Maybe she should make sure their shoes were shined, she could do that herself.

"Sam," Janet said softly as she wrapped her hand around Sam's wrist. "Sam, honey, if you put any more polish on those, I won't be able to lift my feet."

"Huh?" Sam replied. She looked up into Janet's face and blinked before looking down at the black heel in her hand. "Oh, damn, I'm sorry Janet. I'll clean this up."

Janet took the shoe from her and set it aside. "It's alright, Sam."

Without the shoe and polish in her hands they began to tremble and that made Sam ball them up into fists. Janet wrapped her hands around them and Sam closed her eyes. "Did I hear the doorbell?"

Janet nodded. "Ashley and Henry are here."

"Mark will be here in the morning." Sam said softly. "He hasn't met any of them yet."

"It'll be alright, Sam." Janet replied. "He'll understand they're here for you, they're your family too."

Sam snorted. "You give him too much credit. He's already upset about the cremation."

"He's hurting." Janet reminded her. "Just like you. He's just using that as an outlet."

"I know." Sam said with a sigh as she shifted and put her head on Janet's shoulder. "At least I don't have to explain why a tiny portion of Dad's remains are being sent to the Tok'ra homeworld."

In a few days SG1 along with Janet and Hammond would be going to the Tok'ra homeworld so they could honor Selmak and Jacob. Sam was happy that her dad would be honored for what he did for the Tok'ra, but she really just wanted this part of things over and done with so she could mourn and grieve in her own ways. Not that she knew what her ways were. This was different than the last time. Sam kept waiting for the anger; the kind of rage she felt when her mom was killed but it wasn't coming. Her dad had lived a long life and in the end, he'd been at peace.

After a moment of just sitting in comfortable silence Janet finally said, "Why don't you go downstairs and say hello to your sister and Henry. I'll clean up in here, and I'll make sure our uniforms are ready for tomorrow."

Sam flinched as she sat up. "I didn't ruin your shoes, did I?"

"No." Janet replied as she caressed Sam's cheek. "But just to be safe I'll do the rest. I worked my ass off for that gold left, I'd rather you not polish the gold off."

Sam laughed softly. She leaned in and kissed Janet, held her awhile, and then stood to leave the room. She headed downstairs, and no sooner did she step off the last step she found herself in a tight hug. The flutter of blonde hair in her face and the scent of freesia and ginger told Sam it was Ashley who'd tackled her. Sam smiled, and easily, gratefully, returned the hug. "Hiya Ash."

"Hi Sammie." Ashley replied, her voice soft and loving.

It was nearly a full minute before Sam said, "You can let me go now Ash."

"You sure?" The younger blonde asked.

Sam chuckled. "I'm ok, Ashley, I swear."

As soon as Ashley stepped away from Sam and before she had time to take a breath Henry had her wrapped in a hug. "I'm sorry about your dad, Sammie."

"Thanks Henry." Sam wheezed.

Henry pulled back to look at her with a frown. "Are you sure you're ok? You don't sound ok."

"Yes. Fine." Sam replied. "To tight wolf boy."

"Oh!" Henry said letting Sam go. "Sorry."

Sam chuckled after taking a full breath in. "Is it still a bear hug when it's a wolf doing the hugging?"

"The others send their condolences, sweetheart." Helen said from where she stood watching her children. "Will was going to come but something's come up."

"Yeah, the Big Guy really wanted to come too but we figured there'd be a whole lot of military types around." Henry added. "He'd be hard to explain. He sent one of his best bottles of whisky though. Said we're supposed to use it to toast your dad."

Sam smiled, her eyes filling with tears that weren't all together painful. "I think my Dad would like that a lot."

Spending the evening with her family, with Janet and Cassandra, with Helen, Ashley and Henry had been just what Sam needed. It gave her the strength to face the day ahead of her. She stood alone at the gravesite for some time before Mark arrived. She was in her dress uniform and had been standing at attention without noticing. Mark had walked up and called her Dad's perfect little solider. It hadn't been meant maliciously but it had stung, nonetheless. He slipped his hand into hers as they looked at the freshly engraved double headstone. Mark talked about how he still couldn't believe the cancer had come back and come back so aggressively. Sam said she was just grateful for the extra time they'd had together, and Mark agreed. He was glad they'd been able to mend fences, and that his kids had gotten to know their grandfather.

When people started arriving it was Sam's people who arrived first. Mark already knew Janet and Cassie, unlike Jacob he'd instantly accepted them in Sam's life and had even told her he'd suspected as much about her given her conviction as a child that would grow up and marry She-Ra, so Sam didn't have to introduce them. But she did need to introduce him to the rest of her non-Carter family, and that twisted her stomach up into a painful knot of nerves. She introduced Henry, and Ashley, and then, "This is Helen, Mark, my mother."

"Your birth mother." Mark said as if correcting Sam. Mark had had a harder time than Jacob with the whole Sam being adopted thing and had let his sister know he didn't like her getting close to her new family. He nodded at Helen and the others and said with faux politeness, "Thank you for coming. I'm sure Sam appreciates the gesture."

"Mark." Sam growled at him.

"What?" He replied, surprised by the anger in Sam's eyes and the tone of her voice.

"What I would appreciate is you not acting like an ass." Sam replied as she glared at him.

Mark glared back and then excused himself when he saw his wife and kids arrive. Janet stepped closer to Sam and took her hand. Helen tried to say something, perhaps to excuse Mark's tone, the snide way he'd said birth mother, but Sam wouldn't let her. Sam explained that Mark's way of dealing with something like death was to blame someone, to be angry with someone, and he was pushing for that someone to be Sam. He would find an old wound and pick at it until Sam bled, it was just how he was. She even bet that he'd be pissy about the amount of time Sam had gotten to spend with Jacob over the years, and how she had made sure she was the favorite by following in his footsteps. She reassured them that she would handle Mark, and they'd both be fine eventually.

After the funeral, the rest of the afternoon and early evening was spent at Sam and Janet's. For hours Jacob's friends and colleagues passed through his daughter's home to express their sympathy and condolences, to talk about what a good man, a good solider he was. Sam couldn't help but think that ninety-eight present of them had no idea just what Jacob Carter had done, what kind of man, solider, leader, and father he was. It was a struggle for her not to just scream at them. He helped to save the Earth, he helped to save the damn solar system, he helped a whole race of people fight for their freedom, he helped defeat the Replicators, and so much more. These people knew nothing about who her dad had become in the last years of his life.

The people who remained at the end of the night knew. Hammond, Jack, Daniel and Teal'c remained when everyone else, even Mark, had gone. They sat with Sam, Janet, and Cassie and drank a toast to Jacob Carter and Selmak. They welcomed Helen, Ashley, and Henry after they'd finished cleaning up with warm smiles and sincere words of thanks. Hammond and Jack even sang along with Henry when Henry began singing Parting Glass while he poured everyone another drink. Well, everyone but Cassie, she'd been allowed one small taste for the first toast and made Jack proud when she managed not to gasp and cough, but after that Janet had made sure the teen was only given cream soda.

It was Hammond's hug that finally did Sam in. She managed to hold back the worse of it until he'd driven off but once left alone on the porch the damn broke. Sam was trembling, sobbing, and alone. For just a moment she felt utterly alone and completely lost. Then she felt someone take her into an embrace that said she would never be alone, and that she was still very much loved and always would be.

Just as she'd promised him Helen was there for Sam and in that moment, she held their girl for the both of them.


	6. Nice Surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam gets a nice surprise a week before her wedding to Janet  
> Helen gets a bit of a shock

Most people knew about Sam's more mechanical hobbies like her restoring old motorcycles and rebuilding old cars. What few knew about was how much Sam liked to putter around in a garden. She loved quiet Sunday spring and summer mornings. She and Janet would linger over the paper, coffee, and pastries before heading out to work in one of the flowerbeds that surrounded their home, or the vegetable garden in the backyard. This morning they were tending to the flowerbeds in front of the house, replacing the spring pansies, snowdrops, and crocuses with summer hibiscus, petunias, and daylilies.

They'd just finished, and Janet had headed inside to get them some drinks while Sam tidied up a bit. Cassie was sitting on the porch steps with her ear buds in, her attention almost completely on the screen of the way to expensive smartphone her new grandmother had given her for no other reason than she'd overheard Cassie wish for one. She was distracted enough not to notice the car pull up, but she was aware enough to feel the prickle of being watched. Looking up the girl saw a well-dressed, distinguished looking old man with a cane standing by the gate. Pulling her ear buds out Cassie stood as she said, "Sam."

"Yea kid?" Sam replied as she looked over at her daughter. The look of slight concern on Cassie's face made Sam turn to see what the girl was staring at. The look of utter shock and surprise couldn't outshine the total delight she felt at seeing him. She was moving towards him before she could stop herself. "Grandfather?"

Gregory smiled as he embraced his eldest granddaughter. "Hello my dear."

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked as she returned his hug and then stepped back so she could look him in the eyes. "How did you get out of Praxis? Are you in danger?"

The Magnus patriarch laughed cheerfully. "I'm not in any peril." He reassured. "And Praxis is my home, Samantha, not my prison."

Sam couldn't stop herself from snorting. "Such a hospitable home."

The look Gregory gave Sam he'd given to her mother on more occasions then either could count. Then he said, "As to what I'm doing here." He smiled lovingly at the young woman. "A very clever girl I happen to know made sure I would find out that there was to be a grand celebration taking place in my family. I assumed it was her way of inviting me. Forgive me, Samantha, if I assumed incorrectly."

Sam hugged him again. "Of course, I was trying to invite you to my wedding, Grandfather. I would have sent an invitation, but Praxis doesn't really have a zip code you know." Loosing Jacob had caused this overwhelming need in Sam to be close to the family she had left. She'd thought it a long shot, but she had to at least try and send word to her grandfather about her wedding to Janet. "But you know the wedding isn't until next Saturday."

"I know we're a bit early." Gregory said a little sheepishly and with a grin often seen on Ashley's lips. "I was hoping I would not only get to meet your Janet Fraiser before the wedding, but perhaps have the chance to spend time with my family. I am once again assuming your mother will be arriving within the next day or so?"

"Yeah, she'll be here tomorrow with Ashley. The others are coming Thursday and Friday." Sam told him. "Mom doesn't know you're here?"

Gregory shook his head. "I enjoy a good surprise."

Sam laughed. "You also seem to really like a good dramatic entrance." Sam's amusement dimmed a little when she realized her grandfather had said we came early. Her gaze darted to the car sitting in front of the house and then looked at her grandfather again. "We?"

"It is custom to allow a guest to bring a plus one, yes?" Gregory said as he waved at the car.

Sam's big blue eyes widened as she watched Ranna get out of the car. The woman gave her a nervous smile as she stood there uncertainly. Sam quickly looked at Gregory and said, "You brought Ranna?"

"Yes." Gregory said firmly. "Is this an issue?"

"Um, well, err, no?" Sam sputtered out. "No, I guess not. It's just…" Sam's gazed flickered back and forth again before she said, "It's just, well, I can't guarantee her safety."

Gregory waved Ranna over as he said, "Don't be concerned Samantha. Ranna and your mother have brokered a sort of peace and understanding between them."

Sam watched as Ranna walked over and wrapped her arms around her grandfather's arm in a certain gesture of familiarity.

"Hello again Samantha." Ranna greeted.

"Hi." Sam replied before sighing and admitting to her grandfather that, "It's not Mom I'm worried about."

"Sam?" Janet called out from the porch. Cassie had come into the kitchen to tell her some stranger had come up to the gate and that Sam seemed to know him. She told Cassie to stay inside just in case and then came out to see what was going on for herself. "Sam, is everything alright?"

Sam looked over her shoulder to see Janet standing there watching them with a concerned look on her face and then turned back to her grandfather. "It's her I'm worried about."

Gregory actually looked amused.

Sam led her grandfather and, Ashley had been right on this one, his girlfriend up to the porch where Janet was waiting. She gave Janet a bright smile, a smile that said everything was fine and that she was actually happy and excited about something. "I've someone I'd like you to meet." She beamed up at Janet who came down the steps, so everyone was on level ground. "Doctor Janet Fraiser," She began while indicating Janet with her hand. "Doctor Gregory Magnus." She waved at her grandfather.

Janet couldn't hide the surprise. "Magnus?"

"Yeap." Sam said brightly. "Janet, this is my grandfather. Grandfather, this is my Janet."

Janet held out her hand and smiled a huge smile that made her big brown eyes sparkle. "It's an honor to meet you, Doctor Magnus."

Gregory gladly accepted Janet's hand. "The pleasure is all mine, Doctor Fraiser."

Now came the tricky part. Sam eased into introducing Ranna. "And this is my grandfather's girlfriend," If Gregory or Ranna were surprised that Sam had guessed at their relationship it didn't show. She wanted to get that out there first because she'd told Janet what had happened in Praxis and she really didn't want to start off this family reunion with her fiancée strangling her grandfather's girlfriend. "Ranna Seneschal."

Those brown eyes that had been so warm and welcoming while focused on Gregory suddenly turned angry and hard as she took in the woman who'd for all intents and purpose murdered her Sam. Janet was about to say something not very nice when she felt Sam's hand take hers. Brown eyes looked into blue and Janet relaxed.

Sam smiled. "It's alright, love."

Janet snorted. It was hardly all right. "If you say so, Sam." Turning towards their guests Janet pasted on her best professional smile. She gave a slight nod of her head as way of greeting while saying, "Ms. Seneschal."

"Doctor Fraiser." Ranna returned the polite if cold greeting.

The tension that had built between the two couples came crumbling down when a fifth voice called out, "Mom?"

Janet softened instantly. "It's ok, Cass. You can come out."

The teenager came bounding out the door with a careful smile as she took in the old man and not as old but still old woman.

"Grandfather, this is our daughter Cassandra." Sam said as she waved Cassie close. "Cassie, this is my grandfather, Gregory, and his friend Ranna."

Cassie beamed as she said, "Hi. Nice to meet you."

With introductions out of the way Janet invited Gregory and Ranna inside. She made tea and served it using the beautiful tea service Sam had bought early on in her relationship with her mother, while still in her must impress Helen phase. She liked Gregory, he was charming and funny, and a brilliant doctor who she could easily get lost in a conversation with. Ranna made her uneasy and with good reason but she did her best to be as welcoming as she could to the woman who'd hurt Sam, Helen, Ashley, Henry, and the others who'd taken that ill-fated trip to the hidden city below the surface. The only slip Janet made was when Ranna looked uncomfortable with her knowing about her precious secret city and Janet flashed her a look that said, and just what do you plan on doing about it?

When Gregory shifted from the chair he'd been sitting in to the sofa to sit beside Sam, who was sitting beside Janet, Janet relaxed a little. She watched as he pulled out a pocket watch and opened it before handing it to Sam. "Oh, she's beautiful."

"She would be Samantha's grandmother, Patricia." Gregory said with a smile that said he'd loved the woman in the picture and he still missed her very much.

"Sam." Janet said softly. "The eyes."

Sam nodded to let them know she saw it. Helen Magnus had her mother's eyes. Samantha Carter had those same eyes.

They spent the rest of the afternoon together and then Gregory treated everyone to dinner out before he and Ranna went back to the hotel for the night. He made them promise not to tell Helen he was here so he could surprise her when she arrived, and even though Sam agreed, it wasn't easy. Helen had this way of looking at her that made it hard for her to lie or be deceptive, and since Helen had somehow managed to work a look into a tone of voice Sam felt it would be easier to just avoid her mother's call that night. Besides, she was a little busy trying to reassure Janet about Ranna.

"I guess in some ways she's kind of faced with the same uphill battles that Jack is faced with." Sam said as she watched Janet clean the kitchen. When Janet was especially frustrated, she tended to sterilize things. Sam chalked it up to some weird doctor thing. "He has to deal with the IOA, and Washington, Ranna has to deal with her Senate. She's taken some risks since the whole, ya know, unpleasant incident. She helped Mom save Will. She warned her about the plots to invade the surface. The two of them managed to ward off what could have been a devastating event with long lasting and equally devastating effects. So, there must be something good about her, right? I mean I can't see Gregory being with someone who didn't have good qualities."

"She killed you, Sam!" Janet argued. "That unpleasant incident was your execution. You, your mother and sister, the others, you died, Sam."

"Well, yeah," Sam replied. "But she brought us back."

"Because she was curious about you and needed Helen's help." Janet huffed.

Sam was quiet for a moment and then chuckled. "She kind of reminds me of Jolinar. She was that kind of single minded bitchy too."

"I'm not going to like her, Sam." Janet said firmly.

Sam stood and walked over to Janet, putting her arms around her. "I'm not asking you too. Hell, I don’t even like her, but Gregory does."

Janet sighed a dramatic sigh that Cassie would have been impressed by. "I do like him."

"Me too." Sam said brightly.

The next morning Janet had to go into work but Sam had already had the day off, so she was able to be home when her mother and sister arrived. Since Helen and Ashley weren't due until lunchtime that gave Sam all morning with her grandfather. There was so much she wanted to know. She wanted to know more about their family, about him and her grandmother, about her mother. She wanted to know about what it was like for him, what Victorian England was like, and colonial Africa, and the U.S. Gregory could see the questions in her eyes, they were sparkling like light off the bluest ocean waves just like Helen's when she was about to burst with curiosity. He wondered when Sam would finally allow herself to ask her onslaught of questions and looked forward to answering them.

"Are you sure it's safe to leave Ranna alone?" Sam asked as she made her grandfather a cup of tea. "I mean she's never been to the surface before has she?"

"No, she hasn't." Gregory confirmed. "She's feeling a bit overwhelmed in fact. Between that and the actual traveling it took to get here she's decided to convalesce in our hotel room for the day. She'll be fine."

As Sam set the cup in front of him, she wondered if Ranna were also preparing to face her mother again. Ranna wouldn't want to show weakness in front of Helen any more than Helen would want to show weakness in front of Ranna. "You mentioned yesterday that this is the first wedding in the family since your own."

Gregory nodded. "Though they were engaged your mother never married John Druitt."

There was a look of relief on his face that made Sam wonder if he were actually glad Helen had never married John. Having met her sister's father, she really couldn't blame him. Elemental possession or not he was a misogynist ass. "How did you and Grandmother meet?"

"Cobblestones were not a lady's friend." Gregory replied. He paused a moment to relish in the memory and everything about him lit up. "I was a young man, still more boy than man to be honest, just starting my medical studies at Oxford. I was off to a lecture and she was on her way to pick up something from a shop nearby, we were crossing the street in opposite directions. The heel of her shoe got caught in a loose cobblestone and she fell, twisting her ankle. I offered my assistance, taking her to a nearby café where I wrapped her ankle with my scarf before hiring a couch to take her home."

When he spoke of his late wife there was no missing out on just how much Gregory had loved her. He noticed the same radiance when Sam spoke of Janet. "We were formally introduced when she became the chief medical officer, but our first real encounter happened when she tracked me down and cornered me because I was avoiding my physical. We became friends after we rescued Cassie, and things just progressed from there."

They chatted until Sam decided she needed to make lunch because Helen and Ashley would be arriving soon. Cassie was more than happy to keep Gregory company while Sam did so. Since Gregory had surprised them with dinner out Sam pulled out the marinated chicken they were going to have for dinner the night before, and threw it on the grill. She was working on sides and drinks when the knock on the door came. She had the biggest smile on her face as she washed and dried her hands, and no matter how hard she tried it wouldn't go away as she walked towards the door.

Helen was relieved to see that Sam appeared to be all right when she opened the door. She'd tried calling Sam last night and several times this morning and was starting to worry since Sam wasn't answering. The dangers of Sam's work didn't always stay on the other side of the Stargate, and it was now well known in her world that she had a second child, so it wasn't a stretch for Helen to jump right into worry when unable to contact Sam. Sam seemed perfectly fine as Helen greeted her affectionately. In fact, she hadn't stopped smiling since opening the door. "Samantha."

"Hmm?" Sam said as she led her mother and sister through her home.

Ashley giggled. "You're in so much trouble."

Sam stopped and turned to look at them. "What I do?"

"I know you have a very good reason for ignoring my calls, yes?" Helen said with a cross look.

"Yes, I do." Sam said, her smile getting a bit brighter.

Helen waited but Sam didn't say anything she just continued walking towards the kitchen. Helen raised an eyebrow and followed. "Samantha."

"It's a surprise." Sam said.

"What kind of surprise?" Helen demanded.

Sam looked over her shoulder and flashed her mother a cheeky smile. "You'll see."

The two visiting Magnus women followed Sam out to the back deck. What kind of surprise would have made Sam avoid her calls like that? Sam was normally very aware of how her actions could cause Helen concern, and she couldn't for the life of her think of anything that would make Sam act differently.

"That's it, Cassandra." Gregory said from the yard. "Hold the mallet just like that and give it a whack."

The sound of his voice actually startled Helen. Turning in the direction the sound had come from her eyes went wide when she saw him. "Father?"

Gregory waved at his daughter with a beaming grin. "Hello Helen, Ashley, my sweets. "

"Hi Granddad!" Ashley replied while bounding down the stairs to hug him.

"Surprise." Sam said cheekily.

Helen shot Sam a look that was half cross and half delighted before turning back towards her father and making her way towards him. "Father, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here for the same reason you are, sweetheart." Gregory answered as he hugged his daughter. "Samantha's wedding."

Sam knew what her mother's next question was because it had been hers as well. "Don't ask how he escaped Praxis, he doesn't like that question."

Helen blinked. That was exactly what she was going to ask.

Gregory could see Helen trying to find a way to word her questions, so he explained, "The Senate has made my position as Ambassador an official posting. I have been granted a special clearance that allows me to travel to the surface on occasion, and I can think of no better an occasion than my granddaughter's wedding."

"That's wonderful, Father!" Helen said joyfully as she hugged him again.

Gregory returned the hug happily. When Helen finally stepped back from him, he said, "Don't be cross with Samantha, Helen. I asked her not to tell you I was here when we arrived last night. I wanted to surprise you. You know how much I love seeing you light up when I surprise you."

"I should be cross with you both then." Helen replied. "I was worried."

"I didn't mean to worry you, Mom." Sam told her mother. "I just knew you'd be able to tell I was keeping something from you, and you'd use that voice. You could have called Janet, you know."

Helen was about to argue but Sam was right. She could have called Janet. Still she wasn't about to let her child win this one, so she asked, "What voice?"

"Leave the child alone, Helen." Gregory laughed. "Come help me teach Cassandra how to play croquet. I was going to teach her the finer points of cricket, but Samantha doesn't seem to have a cricket bat."

Now it was Helen who laughed. "Samantha was raised as an American, Father. Of course, she doesn't have a cricket bat.

"If it helps, I don't have a baseball bat either." Sam threw out there. "We have hockey sticks, though."

"What's cricket?" Cassie called out.

"A grand sport played by civilized people." Gregory replied as he walked off to school Cassie on yet another game she'd never heard of before.

Helen was about to follow but then stopped and blinked. She titled her head in that way she had when she was struck with something and then turned to look at her daughters, or more to the point at Sam. "Did he say we?"

"Caught that huh?" Sam said as she nodded her head and rocked on her heels. "Yeah." She smirked as she turned to look at Ashley. "Will and Henry owe you fifty bucks each."

"They do?" Ashley replied while looking confused.

Sam nodded. "Remember the bet you made with them while we were being drummed out of Praxis?"

It took a minute, but Ashley remembered and her eyes went wide. "Seriously?"

Sam nodded.

"I knew it!" Ashley replied.

Helen watched the banter between her daughters with a bit of annoyance. Clearly, they knew something she didn't and that always annoyed her. "Would you two care to fill me in? Who came with Father from Praxis?"

"Ranna." Gregory answered from behind her.

Helen's shock was written all over her face. "You brought Ranna to the surface?"

Gregory nodded. "She wanted the experience and I wanted her at my side."

She could understand wanting the experience of coming to the surface, but what Helen didn't understand was why her father would want this woman at his side. It wasn't like he helped her govern Praxis even if he did act as an advisor.

"Mom's not getting it." Ashley stage whispered to Sam.

"Nope." Sam replied as they continued to watch. "Why would she? I mean it's probably a totally foreign concept to her."

"She probably still sees them together." Ashley mused with a nod. "So, it wouldn't be something that naturally caught her eye."

"He still has a picture of her in his pocket watch." Sam said with a sentimental kind smile.

Ashley couldn't help but look a bit sappy herself, "Really? Aww, that's so cute!"

"Enough." Helen said after standing there listening to her daughters' very odd conversation, a conversation that was clearly about her. "I swear you two can be worse than a queue of mothers outside a midwifery clinic in Poplar." Taking a breath, she then asked, "What are the two of you talking about?"

Sam and Ashley looked at each other before looking over at Gregory. It wasn't their news to tell.

"Ask Granddad."

"Ask Grandfather."

The girls spoke in unison and then Sam said, "I should check on lunch. Cassie, come give me a hand." Grabbing her sister by the elbow she added, "You too."

Once left alone Helen turned to her father.

Gregory smiled warmly and offered his arm to Helen. They walked over to a backyard lounge swing and took a seat. "They're right you know. You wouldn't have reason to read between the lines the way they have. The little girl in you will always see me only with your mother."

It took a second but finally Helen got it. "You're romantically involved with Ranna?"

"For some time now, yes." Gregory replied.

Helen wasn't sure what to say to that. The logical intelligent adult side of her said, yes of course her father had had other lovers, other relationships. He was a brilliant handsome and charming man, a human being who would long for companionship. The small child deep down inside Helen was stomping her foot and screaming, that murderous harlot was not her mother!

"Helen?" Gregory questioned.

"I suppose that accounts for the level of her anger towards you when you disappeared." Helen commented as she replayed every moment to see how she'd missed this.

Gregory chuckled softly. "Yes, it does."

Helen wasn't sure how she felt about this, but she did the proper thing and said, "It’s nice to know you aren't alone in Praxis."

He knew that was as good as he was going to get so Gregory smiled.

From the deck Sam and Ashley watched their mother carefully. "She hates it doesn't she?"

"Oh yeah." Ashley replied. "She likes the idea of them together as well as Henry like nubbins."

Sam flinched.

"But she's too much of a lady to say otherwise to anyone." Ashley reassured. "Besides, this week is about you and Janet. She'll be too focused on you to give a second thought to Granddad and the ice queen."

Sam hoped so. She was already worried about Mark. After his behavior at their dad's funeral she wasn't sure what to expect of him at her wedding. It wasn't going to be anything big or fancy, just their closest friends and their families. After everything they'd been through, and with everything still ahead of them, she and Janet needed this.

The venue was open and a bit modern in design. Everything was decorated in whites and creams with pops of vibrate color coming from the flowers. There were fairy lights twinkling everywhere. The ceremony was simple with Cassandra standing up for them both. The reception was in the same space, dinner, drinks, dancing, and cake. The only uneasy moment of the whole evening was a brief encounter with Mark. He'd overheard Ashley call her Sammie.

"She doesn't like that you know." Mark said as he joined the conversation.

"Doesn't like what?" Ashley asked, looking from her sister’s bright and happy face to the slight scowl of her adopted brother.

"Being called Sammie." Mark replied.

Sam gave her brother a hard glare before softening and admitting, "Actually, I kind of like when Ashley and Henry call me Sammie."

Mark gave her a look of disbelief. "You made everyone stop calling you Sammie when you were ten. You said something about double digits and being too old for it. The only person who ever called you Sammie after that was Mom."

Sam bit her lip and shrugged unsure of what to say to Mark. She didn’t know how to explain that hearing Ashley or Henry call her Sammie, gave her the same kind of warm feeling in her chest that she’d felt when their mother had said that name. 

"I can stop if you really don't like it." Ashley offered, looking at her sister with concern that she might have unknowingly been hurting her all this time. 

Sam shook her head. "Please don't.” Reaching out she took Ashley’s hand in hers and squeezed it. “I really do like it when you call me Sammie." She smiled a cheeky smile at her sister. "Plus, I know you get an extra thrill from it because it bugs Mom."

"Noticed that did you?" Ashley said with a laugh.

"Your life's goal is to annoy her as much as possible." Sam replied with a bright laugh of her own.

Before anyone could say anything else, Gregory walked up to them with a bright smile, and extended his hand towards Sam as he asked, "May I have the pleasure of a dance, my dear?"

Sam lit up as she took her grandfather’s outstretched hand. "I'd love to dance with you, Grandfather."

Once left alone Ashley turned to Mark. "You need to chill."

"Excuse me?" Mark replied.

"There's nothing you can do to change the fact that Sam has us in her life." Ashley told him in a firm voice. "Keep acting like a snide dick and you're going to end up hurting her."

"You don't know anything about Sam." Mark huffed at her.

"Until a few years ago neither did you." Ashley reminded him. "I know her well enough to know your actions are hurting her."

Mark turned to watch Sam dance with the old English man she'd introduced as her grandfather.

"We're her family now too." Ashley said. "We're not going anywhere. You need to accept that and get past whatever stupid bullshit that makes you act like a total tool."

After dancing with her grandfather Sam went to find Janet. She wrapped her arms around her and smiled the brightest smile when the smaller woman leaned back against her. They stood like that for a few moments before Janet said, "It's nice to see Mark getting along with everyone."

"What?" Sam replied, blinking in confusion. Mark wasn’t getting along with anyone, she had just left him antagonizing Ashley.

Janet pointed to the dance floor where Mark was dancing with Helen.

Sam's eyes went wide. "What's he doing?"

"Dancing?" Janet replied with a chuckle.

As soon as Helen was free Sam went over to see what Mark had wanted. Helen reassured her that he was a perfect gentleman and just wanted to take a moment to get to know her. She chuckled softly at the skeptical look on Sam's face. When she went to ask Mark what he was up to he said, "Dad's gone Sam. All I have is my family and you."

"I'm still your sister Mark." Sam reassured him. "Nothing’s going to change that."

"Yeah, I guess I'm figuring that out." Mark replied.

Sam smiled and hugged him.

With things straightened out with Mark, Sam could relax. There was still the matter of Helen and Ranna and Gregory but that could wait until she and Janet got back from Bora Bora. For now, in this moment, Sam was just going to enjoy having everyone she loved gathered around her, happy and joyful, enjoying the moment of peace as they celebrated love.


	7. Personal R&D

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam comes up with a project and seeks out the help of Nikola, but Helen has concerns when the pair are ready to actually build their little R&D project.

It was quiet, peaceful. The only sounds that filled Helen's study where the rustle of papers while she worked, birds singing outside, and the popping of the firewood burning in her fireplace. Helen savored moments like these. They didn't come often in her life because of her life's work. If it wasn't one abnormal crisis or another it was something else involving her children, or her protégé, her colleagues or friends. Setting her pen down Helen reached for her tea. It was one of her personalized blends, an oolong because she'd fancied something a bit lighter and sweeter compared to her normal black teas. Helen sighed contently after sipping her tea and let her head fall back gently to rest against her chair. She set her cup aside and closed her eyes for a moment. She could feel the warmth of the sun as it came through her beautiful window, smell the sweet smoky scent of the fire, hear nothing but welcomed silence. It was bliss.

It was too good to last.

The door made little noise as it was flung open, but it made a startling bang as it was thrown closed. Helen jumped to her feet instantly, her vivid blue eyes scanning the room for trouble while her hand reached for the gun hidden under her desk.

"Helen!" Nikola Tesla smiled as he sing-songed her name. "You're absolutely radiant when you're startled."

Her gaze fell on the vampire grinning at her like some kind of Cheshire cat. Helen blinked and then scowled. "Nikola!"

"Sorry." Nikola said with an amused chuckle. "How was I supposed to know I'd catch you in the middle of a catnap?"

She nearly growled at him as she asked, "What are you doing here, Nikola?"

"I'm here to work of course." He answered as he moved gracefully across the room so he could be closer to her. "Now, where is your offspring, Helen? I was hoping to get started as soon as I arrived."

Helen didn't bother hiding her confusion. What on earth did Nikola want with Ashley? "Ashley's gone to meet with one of our arms dealers. Why?"

Nikola waved a hand at her as if dismissing the idea the way he'd dismiss a footman at dinners from their past. "Not the pretty dangerous one, the pretty genius one."

That made Helen raise an eyebrow and smirk in amusement. "You mean Samantha?"

"Yes, yes, that one." Nikola replied. "Now, where is she, already in the lab? Doing inventory, I hope. I did warn her we might have to acquire some of the materials we'll need. I highly doubt you'll have the more obscure things simply on hand and just laying around."

There were often times when Helen had no clue what the hell Nikola was talking about, and this was certainly one of those times. "I would imagine that if Samantha's on Earth she's at home in Colorado Springs."

Nikola frowned at her. "You mean she hasn't arrived yet?"

"Samantha isn't here, Nikola." Helen replied. "Is she supposed to be?"

The handsome vampire walked over and pushed Helen's chair, and there by Helen with it, out of the way so he could check her calendar. He grumbled a little and said, "Yes, we were supposed to meet here today. I'm sure of it." He was annoyed, perhaps a little angry. "Months of collaborative work just sitting in limbo because we can't go further until we've actually made a working prototype. She was so excited about this project last we spoke she nearly gave me diabetes."

He was one of her oldest and dearest friends. With John gone, either missing or dead for all she knew, Nikola was all she had left of her Oxford days, of those glorious years of The Five. She loved him, she did. That didn't necessarily mean she wanted him collaborating with one of her daughters. "Nikola."

"Yes, my dearest Helen?" He purred at her.

Helen rolled her eyes and then asked, "What the hell are you talking about?"

The look on his face said that he suddenly remembered something important, like the fact they hadn't told Helen what they were up too. "Oh, nothing, you know me Helen, I love a good pointless rant. Now if you'll excuse me, I do believe I sense new wine in your fabulously stocked cellar."

She watched as the hurricane of a man known as Nikola Tesla moved towards her door. She stood from her chair and came around her desk as if to follow him, but then stopped, shifted her stance a bit, reallocated her weight to her right foot and crossing her arms. Her tone of her voice lowered as she pronounced every syllable in his name, "Nikola."

Nikola stopped in his tracks as if her voice had some kind of magical power over him. He turned slowly to face her and gave her his most charming smile. "Have I mentioned how utterly striking you are today, Helen? The way the colors from the sunlight streaming through the stained glass highlight your hair is breathtaking."

What made his coy comments even more annoying is the fact that he actually sincerely meant every word. "Cut the crap, Nikola." She warned him. "What project are you talking about? And what does Samantha have to do with anything?" She took a threatening step closer and narrowed her vibrant eyes. "What have you gotten my daughter into?"

Thankfully, Nikola was saved from Helen’s wrath by a knock on the door. "Oh, look duty calls. I bet that's young William with some incepted problem he can't managed on his own, poor child."

Helen didn't take her eyes off the century long pain in her ass. "Come in."

Sam walked into her mother's study with a bright smile and a cheeky comment ready on the tip of her tongue, but any clever greeting she might have come up with was quickly forgotten when she suddenly found herself in the middle of what looked like a standoff. Her eyes darted between her mother and Nikola and then back again. Her excitement and joy at seeing her mom face to face for the first time in what felt like forever was smothered out by the wings of the million or so butterflies now stampeding in her stomach. "Um, bad time?"

"You were supposed to be here two days ago." Nikola said through the corner of his mouth, as if speaking or moving would set off the lovely beast staring him down.

"I know." Sam replied in the same hushed tone. "I was stuck off world until yesterday."

Helen watched the pair for a moment, still in that authoritative stance she'd taken up when she'd called out to Nikola. Then she suddenly relaxed and smiled a megawatt smile. She knew her daughter and her friend were up to something, something that was already making her feel uneasy, but the joy she felt at seeing Sam outweighed that for now. "Hello sweetheart. This is a lovely surprise."

Sam relaxed when her mother did and easily moved towards her to give her a hug. "I hope you don't mind us just dropping in like this, but Janet and I finally got some time off and I thought it might be nice to spend it here."

"Darling you know that you are always welcome here." Helen reassured. "This is your home too." She brushed at Sam's hair, which was ever so slightly longer than the last time they'd been together in person. She smirked a little and in a teasing tone asked, "But if you and Janet both have time off is visiting your mother really the best way to use that time?"

"It is when half of you can't do much but hop around." Janet said from the doorway. She was standing there on crutches, her right foot held aloft, and a look of annoyance on her face.

Helen's eyes went wide with concern as soon as she saw the smaller doctor. "Janet, what happened? Samantha, help her to the sofa."

"It’s just a mild break, nice and clean, so big deal." Janet reassured her mother-in-law.

"Breaking her ankle only served to pissed her off even more than she already was.” Sam began as she helped her wife to the sofa near the fireplace. “We were on a medical supply mission when we were attacked by a small band of loyal Jaffa." Sam continued with a laugh and incredible pride. "The Jaffa didn't know how to react to the small human female taking them out one by one with a P90 while sitting on her ass in the mud."

Janet huffed softly. "Lots of people tend to forget I'm not just a doctor, I'm a trained solider as well."

"We don't forget Janet." Sam said with a smirk. "We use the fact that people underestimate you to our advantage."

"All these fearsome females." Nikola sighed dramatically. "It's all going to my head. I think I need to lay down."

"Don't move." Helen warned him. "Don't think for one moment I've forgotten about you."

"Of course, you haven't." Nikola replied. "I'm unforgettable."

Helen took in the three of them with slightly narrowed eyes. Then she focused on Janet. "Are you a part of whatever these two are up too?"

"Depends on what you think they're up too." Janet replied with a sheepish look.

Turning to look at her daughter Helen demanded answers. "Samantha."

"Well, um, see, Mom, I had this idea one night, see, and it was pretty complex so after I kind of worked out some of the very basics I kind of emailed Nikola to see what he thought, ya know, just out of curiosity." Sam rambled nervously and with her sweet little unsure grin. "I have weird, farfetched, ideas all the time so I didn't expect anything to come of it, I just kind of really wanted to see what it was like to run an idea by Nikola Tesla. I mean who can honestly say they've done that, ya know, in like the last seventy years."

"The girl idolizes me, Helen." Nikola said with a cocky grin. "Isn't it fabulous? Actual respect, such a nice change from the crap I get from Heinrich."

"Get to the part I'm not going to like." Helen said after eyeing the two.

Nikola and Sam looked at each other before looking back at Helen. It was Nikola who said, "Samantha's designed a containment cell. It was crude at best in the beginning, but we've been working together for months to make it feasible."

Sam rolled her eyes and groaned. "Never get tired of the backhanded compliments, Nikola."

"Don't fret pet. It's for your own good." Nikola smiled at Sam. "We wouldn't want your ego getting as large as mine."

Helen was having mixed feelings about this. Samantha was brilliant and the fact that Nikola had called her a genius earlier said a lot about what he truly thought of Sam. Nikola didn't call anyone but himself a genius. Sam could learn so much from Nikola. But Nikola was Nikola, and as Will pointed out on a regular basis, Nikola was always working an angle, always in as long as it benefited himself somehow. He was unpredictable and not always trustworthy. Did she really want her daughter near those qualities of his? "A containment cell for what?"

"This is the part you're not going to like." Nikola admitted softly. "So, remember it was all Samantha's idea."

Sam shot him a look and then rolled her eyes before turning to look at her mother. "The electrical elemental that's living off Druitt."

It was difficult to truly shock Helen Magnus on any kind of deep level. In her extremely long life, she had seen and done things that were downright unimaginable, so catching her so completely off guard like this took something monumental. "I'm sorry, did you just say you've been working on something that could free John of his elemental?"

"Theoretically." Sam answered. "Yes."

"Why?" Helen asked, gently.

"The thrill of discovery, the rush of doing the impossible, the glory of being smart enough to do it when no one else can." Nikola replied brightly and rather animatedly.

Again, Sam rolled her eyes at him before looking into her mother's. "He's someone you care about. “And,” Sam paused, bit her lip for a moment, and then continued, “He's Ashley's father." The last part was said softly, and she had to duck her gaze away from her mother’s for a moment. She'd lost Jacob and Thomas. Ashley could still have John if this worked. Looking back up to meet her mother’s matching eyes Sam continued, "That thing, it feeds off of, or amplifies, or is responsible for his dark side. If we can remove it and safely contain it…"

"You could give Ashley her father back." Helen said softly.

"Something like that." Sam said with a shrug.

"Samantha." Helen said in a breathless whisper.

"Or, you know, what Nikola said." Sam joked uneasily as she nervously rubbed the back of her neck.

The uncertainly of this plan was written all over Helen's face. She had seen a glimmer of the man she'd fallen in love with when he'd been freed of this elemental parasite before. Before the darkness had overtaken him, John had had the brilliant mind of a scientist and the sweet soul of a poet, and oh how she had loved him. When he became who, what, he is now it had torn her to shreds. Her John had been lost to her forever. They could never go back not even now, not even if this plan of Samantha's worked. But what kind of man could John be if he were truly free of the darkness the elemental brought out in him? But there's the rub, how much of that darkness was truly the elemental and how much of it was John himself?

She had feared for her own well-being and that of her unborn child so Helen had delayed Ashley's birth for a century. She had lied to her daughter about her father to protect her. Even now when John was around Helen stood a little closer to Ashley, was always aware of where she was, of what John was doing. How could she willingly allow one daughter to put herself in harm’s way even if it meant giving the other daughter a chance to know the real man her father use to be?

"Mom?" Sam said softly as she tried to get Helen's attention. The dark-haired Brit had drifted off and Sam had a good idea where too. Memory and emotion could be powerful things.

"I'm not sure about this, Samantha." Helen said honestly.

Before Sam could reply Nikola scoffed and said, "I told you we should have just done this on our own, but no, you had to seek out permission from mummy dearest."

"I wasn't going to do this behind her back." Sam growled at him.

"Of course, she wasn't. Samantha's a good girl." Helen said as she sent one hell of a glare at Nikola. "I'm not just concerned about John." She admitted. "That," She waved her hand at Nikola. "That right there, you trying to corrupt my child, that's another reason I'm not sure this is a good idea."

"Oh please." Nikola jeered. "When it comes to morality and ethics, she's just like you, worse in fact, because she has all that," He waved both hands at Sam wildly as he said, "Military-ness about her."

Sam stood there kind of amused and a little annoyed as her mother and Nikola argued about Nikola being a bad influence on her. Her pretty blue eyes darted back and forth as the two threw their jabs and barbs at each other, finally she spoke up and said, "You both know I'm standing right here don't you? And that I'm a grown adult who can make my own choices regardless of outside influence?"

The argument stopped for a second as both sets of ancient eyes fixed on her. Then Helen said, "Hush Samantha the centenarians are talking."

Sam blinked while over on the sofa Janet cracked up.

The laugh made Helen turn and look at Janet. She remembered her earlier question about the younger doctor's role in this and she said, "You've been filling in the medical blanks?"

Janet nodded, her voice taking on a more serious tone. "Sam didn't want to get anyone's hopes up so she came to me when something medical needed to be worked out. We have some experience working together on a project like this. We built a holding tank for a symbiote together."

"Are you three the only ones who know about this?" Helen asked.

Sam nodded. "I made sure Druitt wouldn't find out about this."

"She threatened to have me transported to a wine-less planet." Nikola complained.

Helen smirked at that. "That's my girl."

Sam returned the smile.

"Let me see these plans of yours." Helen said after another moment of thought. "Then give me some time to think this over."

Sam gave her mother a brilliant smile as she pulled out some folded-up blueprints and a notebook from the bag she'd left with Janet on the sofa.

"That's how you kept me from finding it all!" Nikola protested. "You never put it on a computer!"

"Of course, I didn't." Sam replied with a cheeky smirk. "You don't think I noticed the hacks on my personal computers?"

Nikola gasped. "You crashed my servers! You cluttered up everything with cat videos and Twilight fan fiction!" Nikola suddenly smiled a genuine smile. "Oh, I like you." Turning on his heel he began walking towards the door while Sam showed Helen their plans. "Wine anyone?"

He didn't get a reply, not that he'd actually waited for one, because Sam had already launched into explaining everything to Helen. To say the thing was complex would have been an understatement. The gist of it was that John would teleport into the unit, it would be activated, and then he'd teleport out free and clear. The unit was totally self-contained and the elemental it's self would maintain the battery. It had fail-safes on top of fail-safes to keep it contained, starting with the webbing material Sam and Nikola had come up with that would allow John in and out but not the elemental. If it even tried it could end up dead.

"We'd have to house it somewhere secluded, isolated, away from all modern technology." Helen mused. "I think I have a few ideas on where." She caught a hint of excitement in Sam's eyes and added, "I'm not saying yes to this yet, Samantha. There's still a lot for me to consider not the lest of which is your safety."

"Mom." Sam said softly as she locked her gaze with Helen's. "I've gone up against a lot worse than John Druitt. I mean Anubis was the scary evil guy that scared the other scary evil guys, and I managed to come out of that safe and sound."

"I've never come face to face with the enemies you fight, Samantha." Helen said after a moment of thought. "It's a little easier not to give in completely to my worries and concerns and fears regarding your work because I have that silver of ignorance to hold on to. I know John. I know his darkness. I have seen the evil he's done firsthand, looked into the faces of his earliest victims. I have seen the look in his eyes, the malevolence in his very soul, up close and personal more than once." Helen stopped for a moment to push away the memories and the emotions that came with them. "I'm just going to need a little time, Samantha. This is a remarkable design and an even more amazing gesture. I promise not to dismiss it simply because I'm a little frightened and unsure."

Sam was about to say something to reassure her mother, but Nikola burst into the room. "Helen!" He roared. "What have you done to your wine cellar!"

"It's been Telsa proofed." Helen said with a proud smirk. Sam and Henry had built a rather clever way of using Nikola's magnetic abilities against him. It had something to do with reversing polarities, Helen wasn't sure how it worked, but she knew it would repeal Nikola much like magnets repelled each other when facing each other in a certain way. "Don't worry, I've left a little section just for you."

"And you call me immoral!" Nikola huffed and stormed out.

"You know that's not going to keep him out forever." Sam said with amusement.

Helen was beaming. "I know, but so worth it just for that moment. Thank you my darling."

"Maybe I'll let Henry rig it to give him a shock next time." Sam laughed.

It had rained the day before so everything in the garden felt fresh, clean, and alive under the warmth of today's bright sun and cloudless sky. Helen walked along the path letting her thoughts wander as she tried to come to a decision about Sam's project. It felt a little odd to even be debating it. She had spent a better part of her youth trying to save John. Perhaps that was one of the reasons she was hesitating. She had spent a lot of time and energy on John only to watch him sink deeper and deeper into the depths of his madness. Was she really going to allow her daughter to follow in her footsteps? Sam didn't even like John. Helen felt as if that were just asking too much of her. But then she wasn't asking, Sam was offering, and she wasn't doing it for John she was doing it for Ashley.

Samantha adored her sister, and Ashley felt the same for Sam. Ashley had been able to bring out a little more of Sam's playful side, giving her older sister a chance to be carefree in a way she hadn't since the loss of her adoptive mother. Sam had brought out a sense of responsibility in Ashley Helen hadn't seen before. Ashley wasn't as quick to jump the gun; she took a few more moments to think first. She'd become more of a leader rather than a loner. Sam had become someone Ashley looked up to and wanted to be like. How could Helen not allow Sam to do this for Ashley?

It was dangerous. John was dangerous. The elemental was dangerous. She was tired of always inviting danger to court her children. She'd lost Ashley once already and it had very nearly ended her. If Sam hadn't arrived, if Thomas hadn't brought her back and helped her save Ashley, Helen would have done something drastic. She knew of an old legend, a way to end an immortal life, she would have gone looking for it. She'd struggled with allowing Ashley back on missions, but Ashley was the woman she'd raised her to be and she couldn't deny her what she was meant to do. She hadn't raised Sam, but it was so easy to see that she was just as much her mother's child as Ashley was. They were strong, intelligent, independent, compassionate, and fierce; and Helen couldn't be prouder of them.

"You should let her do it."

Helen stopped walking and turned towards the sudden intrusion to her thoughts. "Pardon?"

"You should let Sam build the machine." Biggie said as he stood from the crouch he'd been in while cutting fresh flowers to put in Magnus' office. "You don't have to use it if you don’t want too, but let her build it."

"Why?" Helen asked. Perhaps she needed an outside point of view to make this easier.

The Big Guy took a moment to sort out his thoughts and words and then explained, "Sam is like you. She doesn't do well with feeling helpless. The way she helps is she builds things, fixes things. She couldn't build or fix anything to save her father's life. She couldn't build or fix anything to prevent whatever happened to Thomas. She can build the containment cell. She can try and fix Druitt, fix him for Ashley, and for you."

"For me?" Helen said with a soft snort.

"You love him." Biggie said boldly.

"I loved a man long since lost to me." Helen replied honestly. "Even if we could free him from this elemental, from his darkness, he is no longer that man and I am not longer that girl."

"What he is now hurts you." Biggie said. "It hurts Ashley."

Helen sighed softly. "And Sam wants to take that hurt away."

Biggie nodded. "Let her build the containment cell."

She cycled around her thoughts again and said, "Before I agree or disagree, I should talk to Ashley."

Ashley tried to act as if she didn't care one way or another. Druitt had been nothing but a pain in her ass and a temporary thorn in her relationship with her mom. She'd told her mom that if doing this helped Sam in some way, if it helped her move on from the grief of losing Jacob or helped her with the frustration of not knowing what happened to Thomas, then let her go ahead and build her gizmo. She told her that she didn't care what happened to Druitt, but she wasn't sure if Helen bought it. Ashley had gotten to see a flicker, a brief glimmer of the man her father could have been when they first discovered he had an elemental stowaway. That man she could have maybe seen her mother liking, so maybe she could have liked him too, but she wasn't going to sit around hoping Sam's science project worked. It wasn't that she didn't doubt it would, Sam was a genius, but Ashley felt like they were all just giving to much credit to the elemental for John's bad behavior.

So, with Helen's permission Sam and Nikola got started on making their containment cell. Helen helped when asked but was perfectly fine letting Janet continue giving medical advice for the unit. More than ever Helen found herself wishing she could tempt Sam and Janet away from the Air Force and the Stargate program, but she would never follow through on such desires. She knew they were just where they belonged, at least for now.

Helen would have liked to have been around to keep an eye on the project, but she had duties and responsibilities of her own. She had a global network to run and Abnormals to capture and help. Whenever she had to leave the Sanctuary, she made sure whoever she left behind knew that they were expected to keep an eye on Sam, especially with Janet still laid up with her injury. Which is what led to Will ducking and weaving away from Sam's reach in the front entry hall.

"Damnit Will, give it back!" Sam demanded as she reached for the component Will had taken from her workbench in the lab her mother had given her and Nikola to play in.

Will was actually having a bit of fun playing keep away with Sam. She'd been just a little too serious, too into what she was working on, and he could tell Helen and Janet were just a little worried she'd over do things. "You can have it back after you take a break."

"Why aren't you helping?" Kate asked Janet. The two women were sitting on the stairs watching Sam and Will with a great amount of amusement.

"This is almost as much fun as watching the way Sam reacts to Helen." Janet admitted. "Sam doesn't get to act like this back home."

Kate nodded in understanding. "Because of the military stick up her…"

"I'm Air Force too Kate." Janet reminded the younger woman.

"I know." Kate said with a smirk.

Janet glared at the younger woman. Luckily for Kate there was a knock on the door, and she decided to answer it.

Abby smiled when the door opened. "Hi Kate." She greeted in that bubbly way of hers. "Is Will…"

"Sam!" Will warned. "Don't!"

"Give it back Will!" Sam demanded once more.

There was a crash, something glass breaking on hardwood. "What was that?" Abby asked as she pushed past Kate who'd turned to see what it was as well.

Sam and Will stood there looking between the broken vase and each other with wide eyes. A moment later they burst into laughter.

Kate was laughing as well while shaking her head at the two normally sane ones in their odd little family. "The Doc's gonna kill both of you. She really liked that ugly old vase. I think it was a gift from a bishop or a pope or something."

"This is Will's fault." Sam chuckled while shaking her head in disbelief. When had she turned into a nine-year-old? What was it about visiting her mother that allowed her to act like a child? She hadn't been a child since she lost Debra. Losing one mother had forced Sam to grow up, but finding her other mother had somehow allowed her to reconnect with that lost little girl again. That wasn’t a bad thing, but it was still startling for Sam, nonetheless. 

"You're the one who caused us to stumble into the table." Will pointed out.

"You're the one keeping my electromagnet capacitor away from me." Sam whined.

Will held up the device he'd swiped when he'd gone into Sam's lab to tell her to take a break. "Is that what this is?"

"Yes." Sam said and held out her hand. "Now give it back."

Will pulled away from her reach again. "You can have it back in two hours."

Sam nearly stomped her foot as she said, "William! Seriously!"

"I promised Magnus, Sam." Will replied. "And honestly she scares me more than you do."

Sam huffed. "How come you're not interfering with Nikola's work?"

"Two very good reasons." Will answered. "One, he's a vampire which means he doesn't need to sleep or eat the way you do. And two, I really don't' care about his wellbeing enough to bother even if he did."

Which meant he did care about her wellbeing. That made Sam come up short as she reached for the devise again. She blinked, looked at him for a moment, and then softly said, "Oh."

The moment Will seemed to have with the strange incredibly beautiful tall blonde made Abby uncomfortable and she cleared her throat to let the others know she was standing there. "What's going on here?"

Will and Sam turned to look at her and Will lit up. "Hi Abby." He greeted and then remembered. "Oh, right, lunch. Just give me five minutes to hide this."

"Will!" Sam protested.

Abby walked up to the pair and eyed Sam carefully. Up close Abby was startled by Sam's resemblance to Helen and Ashley, but that didn't stop her from asking, "And you are?"

"Contemplating what would happen if I put Will's baseballs in the glovefish tank." Sam replied while glaring at Will.

"You wouldn't." Will gasped.

"Give me the damn thing." Janet said as she hopped over to the two on her crutches. "I'll make sure Sam takes a break." That made Sam smirk a smug smirk that made Janet say, "You're not getting it back until after lunch, Sam."

"Janet!" Sam whined.

Janet gave her a wife a look that made her stop, huff and cross her arms while she pouted.

"Seriously." Abby said sharply. "Who are you people?"

That made Sam blink. The tone of the woman’s voice made her feel defensive, so she couldn’t help but look Abby up and down, analyzing her, measuring her up. Something about her made Sam uneasy. Something about her baring reminded her of an IOA or NID agent. "Who are you?"

"Easy ladies." Kate cut in. "Abby, this is Sam and her wife, Janet. Sam's the Doc's kid. Sam, this is Abby. She's Will's girlfriend."

Abby couldn't hide the surprise. "You're Magnus's daughter?"

Sam nodded, her sharp blue eyes lighting up as she smiled proudly. “I am.” 

Abby looked slightly confused. She and Will were still kind of new, so she wasn't completely in on all the Sanctuary secrets yet. She wasn't sure how this woman could be Magnus' daughter; she looked too old to be her daughter. She looked as if she were more Magnus’ sister. 

Kate easily adverted any uncomfortable questions by asking, "So who's going to explain that," She pointed to the busted vase on the floor. “To the Doc?” 

Sam and Will shared a look before saying in unison. "You did it."

They glared at each other for a moment and then Sam said, "Maybe she won't notice?"

Will and Kate snorted, they knew better, but Will still said, "You clean it up. I'll see if I can't find something reasonably similar in one of the storerooms. Something missing out right is easier to notice than something slightly different."

Sam nodded her head in agreement.

Three days later, Helen walked into the kitchen and in a voice loud enough to be heard over the din of everyone dancing around getting morning tea, coffee, and breakfast, asked, "Does anyone know what happened to the vase that use to be near the stairs in the foyer?"

Will and Sam instantly stopped what they were doing and looked at each other while Kate and Janet hide smirks behind their mugs of coffee.

Helen noticed the body language and raised an eyebrow.

"Did you check the security footage, Doc?" Henry asked, trying to be helpful.

"I did." Helen replied. She watched the slightest flicker of Will's eyes as they widen just a little, as if perhaps he had forgotten that nearly every inch of the house was watched by security cameras. There was a slight twitch to Sam's lips when Helen said, "The only thing of interest I could see was Abby looking a bit perplex while meeting Samantha."

"She doesn't know how old you are does she?" Sam asked, hoping to divert the conversation.

Helen shook her head. "No, which is why she looked so confused. Her intense look of irritation however was harder to figure out. It could have something to do with what happened just before introductions were made but there appears to have been a glitch in the security feed."

"A glitch?" Henry said as if he'd been stung. "In my system? No way."

"Look into it please, Henry." Helen said firmly.

"Absolutely Doc." Henry said and rushed off to check his precious system.

After everyone went off to do what they needed to do before the morning staff meeting, Will stopped Sam on her way down to her lab. "What did you do?"

Sam smirked. "Don't worry. Henry will never be able to detect it."

"Are you sure?" Will asked.

"Positive." Sam reassured as they walked towards the elevator together.

"I can't believe I forgot about the footage." Will said as he smacked himself in the forehead.

Sam laughed. "Good thing I didn't. I'm not sure how we'd explain fighting like six-year olds over a toy and breaking an antique vase in the process."

"You may want to try finding a way to explain." Helen said as she stepped out of the open lift.

Sam and Will jumped at Helen's sudden appearance. They stared at her for a moment, and then looked at each other, and when they turned to face Helen again, they pointed at each other and said in unison, "It was his/her fault!"

Nikola stood in front of the whiteboard where he and Sam had written out the formulas and general design for the power source. They'd hit a bit of a snag making it work. The containment cell would need to be self-contained or they'd risk the elemental getting into outside systems the way it had gotten into the Sanctuary. He tapped his chin thoughtfully as he looked for the piece they were missing. He was also listening to the conversation happening on the other side of the room without trying to appear as if he were listening.

"It's just not SG1 without you Colonel Carter." Cameron Mitchell said over the video call. "We need you back."

"I'm flattered Colonel Mitchell." Sam replied. "But…"

"Cam." Cam cut in with a boyish smile.

"Cam." Sam repeated. "I know SG1 is in good hands until I get back."

"And you are coming back, aren’t you? And, soon right?" Cam asked hopefully.

Sam smiled softly. "To be honest with you, I'm not sure how soon."

"Aww Sam, can I call you Sam? How exciting can some private sector R&D project be?" Cam replied. "I've read your file. There's no way you're happy working for some ol fuddy duddy. Where's the excitement and adventure in that?"

Sam dipped her head as she tried to hide her laugh.

"What?" Cam asked. "What's funny?"

"The project I'm working on is for my mother's research clinic." Sam answered. "That's why General O'Neill gave me the leave of absence and permission to work on a civilian project."

"Oh." Cam said with a flush of embarrassment. "Well I'm sure your mother is a lovely ol fuddy duddy."

Sam laughed. She liked this Cameron Mitchell. He was no Jack O’Neill, and Sam knew it would be strange going back to the SGC with both Jack and Hammond gone, but it might not be too bad. Though if she were honest, after hearing Jack was being transferred to Washington now that he had a star on his shoulders, she did think about maybe making a few changes in her life. The thought had been a flitting one, however. In her heart she knew she'd return to the Stargate. "Look, Cam, I know how excited you are about being a member of SG1. I just need you to give me some more time."

"Fine." Cam sighed in defeat. "Daniel said I wouldn't be able to convince you to come back early but I had to try."

"It was a nice try." Sam said with a smile. "Do me a favor until I get back?"

Cam smiled back. "Don't worry. I got Daniel's and Teal'c's six."

"Thanks." Sam said. "I need to run."

"Right." Cam said and gave a little wave.

Sam cut the feed and sighed softly.

"Your talents are wasted on those small minded…"

"Nikola." Sam warned as she stood and walked towards him.

Nikola blinked as he looked over at Sam. She sounded so much like Helen when she said his name like that it was jolting. "The universe can be so cruel."

"Nikola, stop it." Sam warned as she picked up her tablet.

"Stop what?" Nikola replied sweetly.

"Looking at me the way you look at my mother." Sam answered. "It's creepy."

"You're beautiful." Nikola purred. "Just like your mother."

Sam glared.

Nikola sighed. "Alright fine. Let’s figure this out so we can finish this thing. A man can only spend so long in a house full of women who are with other women and won't let him watch."

"Nikola!" Helen scolded from the doorway.

Sam smirked. "I told you to stop."

"May we help you Helen dear?" Nikola asked as he ignored them both.

"I've come for Samantha." Helen said as she walked into the room and over to where they stood so she could look over their work. "It's nearly time for dinner."

Sam looked startled by that statement. "Really?"

"Impossible." Nikola said with a shake of his head. "We're on the verge of a breakthrough and she just spent ten minutes with a whiney young man on a video call begging her to come back to work so he could play out some childhood fantasy of being a space cowboy."

Helen ignored Nikola as she looked at Sam. "You've been up since dawn and you worked through lunch. It's time to call it a day, Samantha."

"Seriously Mom?" Sam replied as she crossed her arms and laughed. "You keep hounding me for the way I work, it's funny."

"And just why is my concern for you so amusing Samantha?" Helen asked. "I am your mother."

Sam looked right at her mother and said, "Hello kettle I'm the pot."

It took a moment but when Helen understood that Sam was calling her out for fussing over work habits so close to her own, she barked out a half laugh half scolding, "Watch your cheek young lady!"

Despite what her mother and wife thought Sam did know when she needed to stop and take a break, unless someone's life was in danger and then all bets were off, so she headed upstairs to the living quarters. She found Ashley, Janet, and Charlotte in the parlor where she joined Janet on the sofa to wait for dinner. After dinner Ashley tried to talk everyone into a game of poker to which Janet replied, "Sam isn't allowed to play poker."

"Why not?" Ashley asked as she gathered the supplies.

Janet chuckled as she said, "She unknowingly cheats."

"Apparently I count cards without realizing it." Sam said with a shrug.

"Do you unknowingly cheat at pool as well?" Helen asked from where she sat with Charlotte.

Ashley laughed. "Mom's still sore you beat her."

"No. That I do knowingly." Sam replied with the biggest grin.

In a specially built bunker under desert sands in the middle of nowhere but still under the watchful eye of the Sanctuary is where the finished containment cell with its new occupant would be housed. Helen had spent the weeks Sam and Nikola spent building the cell trying to figure out if she were actually going to use it. In the end she knew she had to try. The problem was she had no idea where John was. She hadn't seen him since Hollow Earth. He would turn up, he always did, but she couldn't keep Samantha around until he did so no matter how badly she wanted too. Sam had a life of her own and it was time she got back to it.

"You can't keep avoiding it Samantha." Helen said firmly as they walked in the garden together.

"Avoiding what?" Sam asked as she turned to look at her mother.

"All the changes at the SGC." Helen said knowingly.

Sam sighed and turned her head to look away. "I know."

"Your life has been nothing but change for the last few years." Helen reached out to put her hand on Sam's arm, halting their little stroll.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "Some better than others."

The smile Sam gave her made Helen's heart swell. "Very much agreed." She reached up and brushed the backs of her fingers along Sam's cheek and jaw. "They need you Samantha."

"I know that too." Sam replied.

"Thank you for what you did." Helen said as she squeezed Sam's hand.

Sam smiled. "I hope it works."

"It will." Helen said proudly. "My daughter created and built it."

"Thanks Mom." Sam said softly. "You don't know how much I needed this."

Helen leaned in and kissed her daughter's forehead. "This is what mothers and homes are for when you're grown, Samantha. We offer sanctuary for the little bits of our hearts we allow out into the world, or in my case, out into the galaxy."

"Never an empty motto huh?" Sam replied with a loving smile.

"Never." Helen agreed as she mirrored that smile.


	8. To the Rescue!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Ashley are off to rescue their mother!

Sam had barely stepped out of the Stargate when she was told that there had been some kind of accident involving her mother. Her heart stopped. Her blood went cold in her veins and she began to shiver. Janet couldn’t tell her what kind of accident or what Helen's status was, only that Ashley had called, sounding upset, and had requested she come home immediately. Sam spent time alone with Janet, allowing her wife to reassure her, and then went right to the airfield where someone from the Sanctuary had a plane waiting. She was still wearing her desert BDUs. A hundred different scenarios ran through Sam's mind during that flight and none of them were good. Helen's work was just as perilous as her own, Sam knew that, and sure she worried about Helen getting hurt but she never felt the kind of fear she was feeling now because her mother was immortal for christ’s sake! They all tended to forget that immortal didn't mean invulnerable.

She had called to let them know she was on her way so when the plane landed, the Big Guy was waiting for her. He didn't tell her much, only that Helen was missing. Ashley and Will filled in the rest when she arrived at the Sanctuary. Adam Worth was still alive. He'd hidden away, with help, in the very outreaches of Hallow Earth and built a machine that would open a fissure in time. The reason they knew this was because the help he'd gotten had come from John Druitt. When Worth double-crossed Druitt, picking a different year then he'd first promised, Druitt had come to warn Helen. They went off together to stop Worth, and even though they managed to save Praxis, Worth still managed to open the fissure and walk through. Helen ran after him.

"You're telling me she's lost in 1898?" Sam asked, as she looked at her mother's people. They were all gathered in Helen's office, including Nikola and John.

"I wouldn't say lost." Nikola corrected. "We know where and when she is, 1898 London. It’s more that she is stranded in the past."

"We need to get her back." Ashley said firmly. "We can't leave her back there."

While the others debated the possibilities, Sam stepped away and turned her back on them to block them out. Helen would know her presence and foreknowledge could damage the timeline and she would do whatever it took to avoid that. Sam saw two options. Helen could sacrifice herself by taking her present self out of the past, or she could hide away somewhere for a hundred odd years. Either way, Sam and Ashley either lose their mother all together, or they lose the woman she was, because no one would come back after an extra few lifetimes the same person. When Sam turned back to the others, she took them all by surprise. For some it was their first glimpse of Colonel Carter and for others it was their first glimpse of just how much a Magnus Sam was.

"Nikola, Henry, we're going to recreate Worth's machine." Sam told the men. "We'll work off whatever Nikola's already started." Nikola would have asked how Sam knew he'd started working on something already, but to be quite honest she was a little scary at the moment. "Ashley, you and I are going after Mom. We can't leave her stranded in the past, not if we want the same Helen Magnus who went after Worth."

"Do you really think you can do it Sammie?" Ashley asked. "Find a way to rescue Mom?"

"Nikola and I built a devise to help that ungrateful, sorry ass, son of a bitch." Sam replied as she pointed to John. "And I have, well, experience in this kind of thing. We can do this."

"And what gives you the right to march in here and take control?" John asked as he glared at Helen’s daughter.

"My birthright." Sam answered in a firm, cold, commanding voice. For the others she explained, "Druitt and Nikola have too much knowledge about what becomes the future, and neither of them are very honorable or trustworthy, so there's no way in hell they get to go. Will, Kate, and Henry are needed here for the Sanctuary. That leaves Ashley and me. Oh, and the most important reason, she's our mother." She gave them all a look that reminded them of Magnus and all, but John, nodded agreement to her plan. He was still hell bent on going back to change things so he could be with Helen the way he felt they were meant to be.

John tried to continue his argument about Sam, an outsider, having no right to come in and take control of the situation like she did. But everyone, including his own daughter and Nikola, agreed to Sam’s plan. John was essentially iced out. It was made clear to him that he was the outsider, and not only that, that everyone in the room was holing him personally accountable for what happened to Helen. “You’re lucky I don’t have you thrown in a hold cell.” Sam told him as she stood toe to toe with the angry man. “You did this to her; she’s lost because of your selfishness. I swear to god, if anything happens to her before we can get to her, being Ashley’s father won’t save you.” 

“You truly are her daughter, aren’t you?” John said through gritted teeth.

“And don’t ever forget it.” Sam replied. 

With Nikola and Henry's knowledge of Praxian technology and Sam's knowledge of Ancient and Asgardian technology they were able to create a devise that would replicate Worth's machine. It would allow them to follow their mother to 1898 London and then bring her back to the here and now. Hopefully. But first, Sam needed to let Janet known what was going on. She called her wife from the privacy of her room, needing not only to tell Janet that she was about to jump back in time, but once again be reassured that everything would be alright. Sam understood how unfair this risk was to Janet and their life together, and she admitted that to Janet, asking ahead of time for forgiveness and understanding. And while Janet was afraid of the possibility of losing Sam, she understood why Sam had to do this. Sam was the strongest person she knew, but if she were to loss her mother, well, Janet wasn’t sure Sam would come back from a blow like that, not after having lost Jacob, Debra, and Thomas. 

"Ready?" Sam asked her sister as they stood in Helen's office once again. The device was ready, and everyone was gathered around to watch as the sisters prepared to jump back in time to rescue their mother.

Ashley nodded, her eyes full of determination. "Let’s go get Mom."

Sam nodded over at Nikola who walked over and handed her a round pocket sized devise. "That is your ticket back, it will open a fissure in time that will bring you back here, but it can only be used once. This thing is eating up a lot of energy, and it will use a lot more when you use that to open the fissure from the other side of time, there’s no guarantee it won’t blow up when you try."

"Man, I hope it doesn't blow up." Henry said worriedly.

Nikola rolled his eyes at Henry but then his expression softened when he looked at Sam. "Good luck."

Walking back over to the machine Nikola started it up. The house rumbled and the lights flickered. The machine began to hum, and the room began feeling warm and stuffy. Just when the shaking got so bad it was bordering on damaging there was a flash of golden light and a fissure appeared. Sam and Ashley looked at each other and nodded, and then they walked into the unknown.

They tumbled out onto the rain-soaked streets of London. It was raining, the air was cool and damp, the sky was grim, but it wasn't yet night. The clatter of horse hooves and carriage wheels on cobblestone was soon joined by whispers and frightened words. Sam got to her feet and looked around, taking it all in with wide eyes. It worked. They were, hopefully, in London circa 1898. Ashley got to her feet and instantly started getting her bearings. Yes, everything was different, but these were still the same London streets she'd spent her childhood roaming with her Uncle James. Once she was sure she knew where they were, she grabbed her sister's arm. "This way."

"Anywhere but here is good." Sam said as she let Ashley pull her along. Their entrance had garnered some attention, and they needed to get away from that attention as soon as possible. It wouldn’t help anyone if they were detained by the authorities or attacked by a frighted mob.

Now that they were actually here, they needed a plan. They couldn't risk going right to the Sanctuary, they didn't know how close or far from their mother's arrival they'd arrived. They didn't even know if Helen would have gone to the Sanctuary. Doing so would have put her at risk of running into her younger self. Nikola told them that he kept a flat in London and that his younger self was currently out of the country so they could use his place if they needed to, so that's where they went.

"Ok, we're here." Ashley said as she watched the street from Nikola's window. "Now what?"

"We need to blend in." Sam replied as she searched Nikola's place for anything that could be helpful.

"Which means we need to look like we belong here." Ashley nodded. "Leave that to me."

Sam turned to face her sister as Ashley headed for the door. "Ashley."

"Don't worry Sammie." Ashley flashed her a smile. "I'll be careful."

Other than the return devise and the clothes on their backs, they hadn’t brought anything else with them from their present, in fear of corrupting the past. With the bits and pieces Nikola had laying around his apartment, Sam was able to cobble together two very crude stun guns. They would be enough to hopefully get them out of a jam quickly but wouldn't be at all helpful in any kind of prolonged fight. Unless they could get their hands on some kind of real weapon, if they came across any trouble, they'd have to rely on hand to hand. Which was probably for the best, they didn’t want to accidently shoot and kill someone’s great grandfather or anything. As she worked, Sam thought about what to do next. They would have to at least check out the Sanctuary to see if their mom had gone there at all. It might help if they could get a bit of local news as well. They seemed to have created a bit of an uproar when they appeared, people would be talking if it had happened before, hopefully recently. Since Helen was here for Adam Worth, finding him might be a lead. Sam blew out a shaky breath. What was this, her third time going back in time? Fourth? It was scary that she even had a count on how many times she’s time traveled. It was even scarier because that whole trip back to Egypt had apparently gone wrong according to the video they'd left saying not to go back to Egypt as long as everything had finally been returned to normal. Sam still wasn't sure what Jack's lake suddenly having fish meant since apparently in wasn't supposed to have fish at all. But that experience did teach Sam to be very careful about what she was doing now, she and Ashley had to be extremely mindful of what they did while searching for Helen so they wouldn’t accidently change a single thing about their present. 

When Ashley finally returned, she had several suitcases with her, and a small trunk. Sam helped her bring them inside with wide questioning eyes. "Where did you get these?"

"Train station." Ashley said with a grin.

"You stole them?" Sam asked with an almost comical look. "Ash!"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Ashley replied as she started opening the cases and riffling through them.

"And the trunk?" Sam asked. "How did you…"

Sharpe blue eyes looked up at Sam as Ashley said, "Sam, we need to find Mom. To do that we need to blend in, right? A few missing cases isn't going to throw the whole timeline into chaos."

"It might." Sam huffed. “Even the smallest ripple here can change everything back home, Ash.” 

Ashley sighed, shook her head, and threw a dark green dress at Sam. "Put that on." Riffling through the trunk she pulled out a long blonde wig and threw that at her sister as well. "That too. Your hair is way too short for this era."

They had to help each other dress. The dresses weren't as bad as they'd thought they'd be, there were no hoops or deadly contraptions to assemble, but they were still more complex than slipping on a skirt and top. The dresses were cumbersome to put on because there were so many layers; a shift, petticoats, stockings tied in place at the thigh with ribbons, hip pads tired around the waist, and of course there were the corsets that they had to lace each other into, and all of that before the actual dresses were put on. 

"Remind me to thank Mom for waiting to have me until after the invention of lace bras and bikini briefs." Ashley grunted as Sam tied the laces of her corset.

The skirts were long, gathered at the waist, and made fuller by the layers of petticoats underneath, but they weren't ballooned out in any manner. Sam didn't mind the way the almost A-line cut of the skirt made her hips and ass look, and the tight bodice and corset did do wonders for her chest. While Ashley bitched about the undergarments and corset, Sam moaned and groaned about the wig, which gave her tight blonde curls that spilled down over her shoulders and down her back, brushing just above her cleavage. "I look like Shirley Temple."

Ashley laughed as she took her sister in. "You look like a girl!"

"I am a girl!" Sam shot back. "And by the way so do you."

Ashley looked down at herself and crinkled her nose. "I know." Then she looked up and laughed again. "Mom's gonna get a kick out of this."

"We have to find her first." Sam said as she put a cloak on over her dress, one with a hood. Ashley had pinned the hell out of the wig to keep it on but just to play it safe she wanted a hood to hide in.

"Any ideas where to start?" Ashley asked as she put on her own cloak after checking to make sure their present-day clothes had burned to ash in the fire they’d set in the fireplace. They couldn’t take any chances of the modern-day fabrics being found, so Sam told her to burn everything. 

"There's really only one place we can start." Sam replied.

Ashley nodded. "The Sanctuary."

They made their way across town to the Magnus family home. Ashley had helped herself to Nikola's stash of money just in case, promising Sam she'd pay him back once they got home. She used a few bits to buy a newspaper. She figured that if something like a woman falling out of a flash of light and onto the street had happened already it might be in there somewhere, but it wasn't. She didn't realize that the Magnus name carried weight and would be protected, so any odd behavior from Gregory Magnus' daughter would be ignored and swept away.

Sam gave her sister one of the crude stunners and they each hide one in the pocket of their cloaks. It was dark out by the time they got to the Sanctuary and they were two women out alone, Sam just wanted to be cautious. They stood across the street, out of sight, and watched the house carefully. Ashley was amazed that it looked just as she knew it, a grand old house that held unimaginable secrets. Sam was captivated. This was where her mother had come from, where she'd grown up, where Doctor Helen Magnus had first began taking shape. It was also the house where, many, many, years from this moment, she would be born. Sam wondered why she hadn’t gone to the house to see it for herself in the present yet, and made a mental note to ask Helen to take her once this was all over with and they were all home safe and sound in their own time. 

The sound of a carriage drew Sam out of her thoughts. She and Ashley moved back, making sure they couldn't be seen, and making sure they didn't cast shadows in the light coming from the gas fueled streetlamps nearby. They watched as the carriage stopped in front of the house and two figures climbed out. The first was a man. He had dark hair, a close shaven beard, and he wore a long dark coat and hat to protect against the wet. His smile was warm, and even though they couldn't see the color of his eyes from where they stood they could see their warmth was bright and clear as he held out his hand to help the woman out of the carriage.

"Uncle James." Ashley whispered with a soft gasp of pain. She had loved him like the father figure he had been all her life. She missed him and seeing him again hurt more than she'd expected it to.

Sam reached for her sister's gloved hand and squeezed it sympathetically.

Both young women watched with rapt attention as the woman stepped out of the carriage. Her hair was a darker shade of blonde than their own; it was natural and unhighlighted unlike theirs. Her hair was long but pinned up in tight curls, not a single strand or lock loose or out of place. She wore a beautiful dress of deep blue and a matching cape to ward off the chilly night air. As the carriage pulled away, she turned towards the street and they saw her face. Sam gasped. "She looks so young."

Tilting her head to the side Ashley looked at their mother, or the technicality younger version of their mother. At this point Helen would have been almost forty, but she still looked just as she had the day she'd injected herself with the source blood. "Other than her hair she looks pretty much the same. She'd have used the source blood by now. Her aging would have already slowed down."

Sam shook her head. "No, not the same at all. Don't you see it?"

"See what?" Ashley asked as she looked at her sister.

"She looks, I don't know, softer." Sam said as they watched the pair head inside. Given what Helen was going through with Druitt, Sam wasn't sure if innocent was the right word. Softer seemed right, so did vulnerable. This Helen Magnus hadn't lived through what their mother had, not yet at least. She had no doubt that this Helen was a strong woman, she knew she was, but it was a little unsettling not to see the kind of strength she was used to seeing when she looked at her mother. This Helen was still over a hundred years away from being her mother, Sam reminded herself, and if they wanted that woman back, they needed to find her quickly.

"Do you think Mom's in there?" Ashley asked.

"Well if she is, she isn't sitting in the parlor waiting to ask how their evening went." Sam replied.

Ashley sighed. "This is getting us nowhere. Let’s just ask Uncle James if he's seen her."

Just as Ashley was about to walk towards the street Sam caught her arm and stopped her. "We can't just knock on the door and ask James Watson if he's seen a different version of his closest friend."

"Why not?" Ashley asked in a huff.

Sam raised an eyebrow as she replied, "Do you really think the world's greatest detective wouldn't take one look at us and see her?"

That made Ashley sighed. "Good point." Ashley looked up at the house and bit her lip as she thought about what to do next. "We can't ask Uncle James but maybe we can ask someone else."

"Who?" Sam asked.

Ashley smiled. Her sister was primarily book smart, military smart, but Ashley was street smart. While Helen looked for answers in her lab or the library, Ashley looked for answers in the dark shadowy places her informants liked to hide in. Moving closer to her sister she hooked their arms together and started leading Sam away from the Sanctuary. "There is always someone willing to talk for the right price."

They were able to get confirmation that their mother was here from a group of street kids. They told Sam and Ashley that a woman with dark hair, a woman the man called Watson had called Doctor Magnus when he'd sent them with a message for her, had paid them to follow a short man to a flat. They gave the kids a few extra coins for showing them the building they'd led the woman too. It was obvious the place had been completely cleaned out. It made sense. Any trace of the Adam Worth from their time would need to be completely wiped out. So, if Worth had been here and their mother had cleared the place out, where would she be now?

"Your accent isn't half bad." Ashley said as she and Sam walked down a back alley.

"Better than yours." Sam said with a laugh. "And you're the one who's spent your whole life with Mom, you've even spent time here, and your accent is rubbish!"

"Well let's hope they're both good enough to fool James.” Ashley replied as they emerged onto the street proper. "Because we know they were working together which means he knows who she is."

It was nearly dawn, so they decided to headed back to Nikola's. "We'll wait until we know he's alone." Sam said. Something must have happened for Helen to let James know who she was and why she was there. She really hoped she was ok. The knot in her stomach was so tight it was painful. Just how badly did Worth screw things up? What did Helen have to do to set them right?

The next morning after watching the younger Helen Magnus leave with a medical bag in hand, Sam and Ashley walked up to the house and rang the doorbell. A butler greeted them, an older Indian man with warm eyes and a kind face, and Sam told him they wanted to see Watson. They were shown to a parlor to wait while he went to get him. There were crates in the entry hall and Ashley explained that at this time Gregory would have been in Africa sending things back as he came across them. Then she laughed and commented on how amazed Helen would be to know she actually listened when she droned on about things like that.

While they waited Sam looked around and tried to picture what it might have been like for her mother growing up here. She tried to imagine some of the stories their grandfather had told them about a young girl lurking behind corners trying to listen in on adult conversations, the young teenager who tried so hard to play hostess when he had company, and the little girl who sat on her mother's lap as she was read a story or sang a song.

"Ladies," James said as he walked into the room. "Do forgive me for keeping you waiting. I am Doctor James Watson; how may I be of assistance?"

"We're looking for someone." Sam said with a warm smile. "And we're hoping you'll tell us where we can find her."

"Oh?" James replied with an inquisitive look. "Who is it you are looking for? You sound as if you believe I might already know the answers you seek."

"Let’s just say she's a friend of ours." Ashley told him. "And we know you've been with her recently."

Now there was a bit of suspicion coloring James' expression. "Oh? Who might that be?"

"Helen Magnus." Sam said firmly. "Or more to the point the darker version of her."

James had been moving across the room subtly, but Ashley had been watching him and knew what he was doing. "There's no need to go for the hidden pistol."

"Pistol?" James replied. "I was going to offer you both a drink."

Ashley rolled her eyes and walked over to pull the pistol from where it was hidden. She held it up and then set it on the table.

"How did you?" James was gobsmacked.

"Doctor Watson," Sam said as she moved towards him and Ashley. "James. We're not a threat to Helen."

"We're here to help her get home." Ashley told him.

"You're a fairly good detective, yes?" Sam said with a sweet smile that looked so much like one of Helen's. She could see his concern, his desire to protect his friend, it was in his eyes, written all over his face. Sam needed to convince him they were there to help Helen, and since her mother had already made her presence known to him, she didn’t see the harm in letting him in on a little more of the truth, but just a little. "Look at us, look at our faces, and you'll see we're no threat to her. We just want to take her home."

James moved closer to the two young women and did just as Sam said. He looked them over with his keen eyes which then went wide. Sam smiled a little more when she saw it dawn on him. He relaxed and let out a concerned sigh, masking it as a soft guffaw. "I was worried about her you know. What you said before; that she was a darker version of the Helen I know, I feared it held more truth than just the color of her hair. I see now that is not so. There is light in her after all." He smiled at them and said, "She's gone to Somerset, but we must hurry, she has plans to leave the country."

"James?" A voice called out from the other side of the closed parlor door.

Sam and Ashley tensed upon hearing it. James held his hand up to reassure them and then rushed for the door, stepping out of the room before Helen could come in. "Helen darling, I thought you were off to oversee Mrs. Redgrave's birth?"

"Another false alarm I'm afraid." Helen said softly. "Do we have guests?"

"No, I was looking for the copy of that book I was reading last week." James replied. "I've been called away and was hoping to take it with me."

"Called away?" Helen asked. "Again? And so soon?"

James smiled. "It's just a bit of a follow up, darling. I'll return by morning."

Helen hummed softly in thought. "I believe you left that book downstairs. I'd like to check on Jack. I'll bring it up to you."

"Thank you my dear." James said sweetly.

Even her voice was softer, Sam marveled. "She even sounds different."

Ashley nodded. "Ok, that I noticed."

James called for a carriage and snuck the two young women out the back. After collecting the book from his Helen, he joined them. It was a long, awkward ride to the seaside. James was full of questions he could not ask. What conversation they did have, was guarded as to not let anything slip. On the upside, Sam was finally meeting and getting to know her mother's dearest friend, and even in the confinements they found themselves in she could understand why Helen had repeatedly wished Sam had had the chance to know him. Ashley was savoring every extra moment with her uncle, finding him kind of amusing. He was a bit stuffier than the man she'd known.

"What a life we shall lead." James said with awe as he looked at the two young women seated across from him. "So much to ponder and think about. For instance," He looked at them both and then zeroed in on Sam. "You are the older one, yes? And yet…"

"James." Sam warned.

"Yes, yes, quite right, my apologies, Ms. Magnus." James replied. Sam insisted they not give him their first names but since he'd figured out their connection to Helen, he'd been calling them by the family name. Ms for Sam because he'd noticed her wedding band, and Miss for Ashley because she wasn't wearing one. Every time he used it Sam smiled despite the little pinch of guilt she felt. No one had called her Magnus by name, she was still a Carter and always would be, but it was kind of nice hearing herself addressed that way.

She watched from behind the curtains as the carriage pulled up. Helen frowned. James wasn't due back until he'd gathered everything she would need to leave for her self-imposed exile. So, what the bloody hell was he doing here? She moved away from the window and was heading downstairs to the door before seeing who had followed James out of the carriage. By the time she'd reached the bottom of the stairs James was already opening the front door and walking in. "James? What are you doing here? What's happened?"

"This version of you really is quite easily excitable." James teased. "Are you always so ready for the worse to happen?"

"Yes." Helen replied a bit harshly.

"Crap. She sounds grumpy."

Snort. "Wouldn't you be?"

Helen's eyes went wide, and her heart stopped at the sound of those two familiar voices. She watched in shock, astonishment, and a little horror as James stepped aside to allow her daughters to walk in. It took a moment; she nearly didn't recognize them dressed as proper Victorian ladies. Ashley's hair was pinned up and she wore a gray and white dress, fingerless gloves, and a very nice pair of boots. Sam's hair was, well, not Sam's hair. Golden curls spilled over the shoulders of the dark green bodice of her dress. The skirt was dark green plaid, no gloves but there was a ruffle to the end of the sleeves, and again amazing boots.

When the shock wore off, Helen’s mama bear mode came out in full force as she glared at her daughters, hands on her hips. "What the bloody hell are the two of you doing here?!"

"Gee, nice to see you too." Ashley replied with a playful huff.

"They claim to have a way of getting you home." James told her, trying to sooth some of Helen’s fear induced anger. 

Helen blinked; her heart skipped yet another beat. "That's impossible."

"I think I'm a little hurt." Sam said with a pout that told her mother she should have known if there was a way Sam would find it.

"Ms. Magnus was very insistent that they have a way." James insisted. 

Helen's eyes went wide again as a smile tried to ruin the stern expression she was aiming at her girls over their reckless actions. A flutter of warmth and pride chased away a small sliver of her fear as she repeated, “Ms. Magnus?"

Sam waved. She could tell her mother was about to have a meltdown over their presence there, so she quickly said, "We were very careful not to disturb anything while we looked for you. The only reason we went to James at all is because we knew you'd been with him already."

"I must say, I am looking forward to seeing how our lives play out Helen." James said with a bright smile. "You've all given me such hope for so many wonderful things."

There was a little twinge of pain in Helen's heart. "James."

"Yes, I know." James said softly as he walked over to Helen and took her hands in his own. "It is time for me to be on my way. I suppose this is farewell then my dear Helen."

She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I'm afraid so old friend. One way or another you won't see me again."

"Then I leave you in good hands." James replied. He turned towards Sam and Ashley and smiled. "Until we meet again my dears."

There was that twinge again. He would never get to remember baby Samantha, never get to meet grow up Sam, and that caused Helen a great deal of pain. So much so that she almost warned him of his fate, almost. Once they were alone Helen turned to her daughters, still in utter shock and awe that they were there. "Samantha! Explain! Now!"

"We recreated Worth's machine, kind of, ours is better." Sam said quickly after the smallest of flinches at her mother’s tone. She knew Helen was scared more than angry, at least for the moment, so she wasn’t taking the tone personally. But it was still the type of tone no child wanted to hear in their parent’s voice because it would almost certainly lead to finding one’s self in trouble. 

"Ours?" Helen demanded. She’d shifted from standing with her hands on her hips, to having her arms crossed over her chest. 

"Nikola, Henry and I." Sam replied. “We used the remains of Worth’s destroyed machine to help us build one of our own.” 

"Can we do this at home, please?" Ashley cut in before Sam started in on how they’d built the machine, or why they’d taken such a risk to come find her. "I can't breathe in this getup."

Sam pulled the device Nikola had handed her out of where she'd hidden in it her dress. "Ready when you are."

"Mom?" Ashley looked at Helen with some concern. "Are you ok?"

It took a moment for Helen to wrap her head about this. She had been preparing herself for living alone for the next hundred years or so. She hadn't even fantasized about the possibility of going home. Now here she stood staring at her daughters who acted as if they'd just flown a plane or driven a car to pick her up. Helen’s voice quivered a bit as she yelled at them, "Do either of you know the kind of risk you've taken?!"

"Yeah, Mom, we do." Ashley said firmly. "We weren't going to leave you trapped here."

"We don't know if either of you have the longevity gene!" Helen scolded. "I'll live long enough to eventually return home! You wouldn't have even noticed I was gone!"

"We know." Sam said softly. "But as selfish as it sounds, we wanted you back, not you with an extra one hundred and thirteen years tacked on."

"And we did notice." Ashley pointed out. "That's why we're here."

Helen stalked up to her daughters and for a moment it seemed she might actually strike them, but the fear she'd felt when she saw them, the fear that they'd cursed themselves to the same fate she faced, faded and she hugged them instead. Then she pulled back and fussed with the bodice of her dress and smoothed out her skirt. "Samantha. Take us home."

Sam had tensed up when Helen came forward but relaxed into her mother's hug. Now she smiled as she activated the device. "This might take a moment. Hopefully, Nikola hasn't fall asleep at the controls."

The building shook bad enough for things to fall off shelves and walls. The lights flickered, dimming, going out completely, and then flashing back on a little to brightly. Nikola did his best to keep the machine from going up in flames while they waited. Sparks flew as bulbs burst overhead; smoke came from Helen's computer monitors. Plaster walls cracked, and dust rained down from the ceiling. 

"Why is it so much worse this time?" Henry asked, trying not to sound to panicky.

"Because the opening isn't originating here." Nikola answered. “It’s drawing on twice as much energy to force the fissure open.” 

They all watched and waited, flinching, and sidestepping when something broke or fell or shattered. Finally, there was a burst of light and three figures came tumbling out of the golden, glowing fissure before it closed, each tumbling to the ground with soft thuds and gentle groans.

"Helen?" John called out as he went to help her up.

"I thought I said I never wanted to see you again." Helen hissed as she got to her feet, knocking away John’s outstretched helping hands.

"You don't ever mean that." John replied, his voice gentle and full of relief. "Are you alright?"

She looked right into his eyes as she said, "I meant every word."

The look in her eyes made him gasp and take a step back. "It was you, that night in the alley, that was you."

"Who kicked your arse?" Helen replied as she tugged at the bodice of her dress. "Damn right it was." Helen’s stare was full of anger and heat, more than any other angry glare she had ever given him. “Get out of my home. Get out of my life, John. This time you have gone to far!” 

John took another step back. He stared at her for a long time before nodding. He dared to look over at Sam and his daughter, giving them a nod of thanks. Then he looked at Helen again before taking his leave. 

"Wow," Will said, breaking the tension, as he stood there taking them all in. "Look at the three of you."

Henry chuckled nervously from the emotions rolling off Helen. He fought the urge to rub the back of his neck, focusing instead on his adoptive sisters. "You two look like, ya know, girls."

"We are girls!" Sam and Ashley huffed in unison.

Helen turned to Will and asked, "How long have I been gone?"

"Almost a week." Will answered.

Helen closed her eyes and sighed softly. A week, not a century. She wouldn't have to spend several more lifetimes alone, always longing for home, always thinking about how much she missed her children, her friends, her life.

"Mom?" Sam said softly as she walked over to Helen in a swish of skirts to put her hand on her mother’s trembling shoulder.

"I'm alright, love." Helen reassured.

Sam shook her head. "No, you're not, but that's ok.” She squeezed Helen’s shoulder. “You're home now so you will be."

Helen opened her eyes and looked into Sam's and then Ashley's. "Yes.” She agreed, “Yes, I will be." She gave them a reassuring smile before saying, "Now, if I want out of this dress, I know the two of you do, but first I want a picture. Henry, camera please.” Henry replied with a happy affirmative, he was all for having photographic evidence of Sam and Ash dressed like this. As Henry fetched the camera, Helen continued, “Once we're all more comfortable,” She gave her girls a look that had them both squirming, “The three of us are having a nice long chat about you two taking foolish risks!"

"Aww crap." Ashley moaned.

Sam smirked despite any pending parental doom. "Worth it."

"Yeah." Ashley agreed with a soft smile of relief at having her mother home safe and sound. "But still, aww crap."


	9. Not Who She'd Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helen discovers that alternate realities exist, and Sam gets a glance at what she might have been like if things had been different.

So much blood. It was seeping through her fingers, hot and sticky, seeping under her nails and into her rings tainting the gold and tarnishing the diamond. The bullet had hit so perfectly that with each heart beat more blood just rushed from the wound like a crimson river. She couldn't make it stop; she had to make it stop! The room filled with the smell of it and it was making her dizzy. She was lightheaded, unfocused, and barely heard the normally familiar and comforting sounds coming from behind her. The grind of ancient metal not of this world, the kerchunk of clamps locking into place, the sound of feet on metal grating. Her focus was on the blood and stopping it from leaving the body she was knelt over.

"You have to stop her." The words are whispered and horse. 

She shook her head. There were tears in her eyes and for once in her life she didn't stop them from falling. "I can't leave you."

"You have to." The words were firm and reassuring. 

"You'll die!" She screamed.

"I love you." The words were true and everlasting. 

She knew what she had to do. She knew she had to go after her. She had to stop her. This could all be avoided; all she had to do was stop her. She could fix this. It was up to her, her responsibility. Her duty. "I love you too."

It was a goodbye kiss and they knew it. Unless she could stop her, could stop all of this from happening, it would be the last kiss they ever shared. She wouldn't let this be the end, not now, not ever. Throwing herself to her feet she turned and faced her. They were friends once, but that had been a lie, a ruse and now she was paying the price for giving her trust so easily. Their eyes locked just as the Stargate opened. She watched as a wicked grin appeared on her face while keying in a command on the device on her arm. She smiled back, the game was on. She ran up the ramp, right at her former friend. They tumbled into the event horizon together.

They hit the ground hard. She had the breath knocked out of her, but years of training and experience had her ready for the fight. They struggled, threw punches that showed no mercy. The knife was a surprise. She had to roll away from her or have the blade slit from ear to throat. They scampered to their feet and she drew her Browning, the silver and gold plating sparkled in the sunlight pouring through the openings in the canopy of trees above.

"You won't kill me.” The smirk was sinister and the words teasing. “You won't kill a friend."

"You're not my friend." She said coldly and fired the shot.

The scream was a mix of pain and laughter that sent a chill down the spine. "You bloody bitch! Just like your mother you are!"

"And proud of it." She replied as she fired a second shot.

She took off running after her. The trees and brush were thick and somehow she managed to lose sight of her. It wasn't until she hit blacktop that she realized something was very wrong. There shouldn't be blacktop. Livid blue eyes looked all around for her target, as well as for understanding. Those fiery blue eyes grew wide when she realized she wasn't in the past. They were supposed to be in the past, but there were no blacktop-paved roads in nineteenth century London. "Bloody hell!"

Sam groaned as the nonstop ringing of her cell phone broke through her much-needed sleep. She'd just gotten home from a tour aboard the Daedalus where she'd been heading up a team making repairs and upgrades to their brand new 304. She’d been home for all of twenty-four hours, several of those hours were spent debriefing with the general and several more had been spent 'debriefing' Janet. Now all she wanted was sleep, and maybe food, but sleep first. With an angry grunt she rolled away from the warm body curled into hers and reached towards the nightstand for her phone. Hitting the call button, she held the phone to her ear and growled, "Carter." She listened half-heartedly at first but then something hit her brain hard and she was instantly awake. "Say again, Sir?" She listened, her eyes widening, and she sat up. "Yes Sir. I'm on my way."

"Sam?" Janet moaned groggily and unhappily at being awaken.

"You'd better come along, Janet." Sam sighed as she got out of their bed to get dressed.

Janet sat up and watched Sam through sleep-blurred eyes. "What's going on?"

"General Landry didn't go into a lot of detail." Sam replied as she pulled on her navy blue cargo pants and black t-shirt. "But they've taken someone into custody that he says I really need to see. Anytime a general says that…"

"It's never something good." Janet said as she reached for her uniform slacks and the blouse Sam had tossed across the room last night.

When they stepped off the elevator after arriving at the Mountain, Cam was waiting for them. He was smiling and bouncing on the balls of his feet like an excited child. Sam was too tired to find his excitement amusing. She gave him a soft glare that said, knock it off, before asking, "What's going on?"

"About an hour ago a woman marched up to the front gate and demanded to be let in." Cam explained as he led them towards the conference room. "She was taken into custody and we've got her in a holding cell."

"A woman?" Sam replied. "Just some random woman?"

Cam's eyes lit up. "Nope, not really random."

Sam took a deep breath. Two weeks off, had that really been too much to ask? All she'd wanted was two weeks to spend with Janet alone at home, and to maybe head out to visit Cassie on campus, or even have a weekend at her mother's. "Cam, can we just cut to the chase here."

Cam smiled as they joined Landry and the others in the conference room, making his way over to the table where he sat beside Teal’c. He pointed to the video feed coming from the holding cell which was displayed on a television screen beside Landry. "See for yourself."

Sam and Janet walked closer to look at the screen. The woman looked almost exactly like Sam. Her hair was longer, a lot longer, and kind of wavy. It was blonde but a darker blonde, no highlights. Sam titled her head a little as she realized it looked a bit like the way Helen had worn her hair when Sam had seen her in the past.

"It's you." Cam said with that edge of enthusiasm he always got when faced with something new.

Sam blinked. "I can see that."

There was a slight bit of panic when Janet said, "Oh please tell me that's not the RepliCarter. Didn't we destroy that thing?"

"Don't worry, Janet." Daniel reassured. "It's not the RepliCarter."

Janet sighed in relief. That was not an experience she wanted to relive. Five had tried making a perfect copy of Sam, to perfect; the thing had Sam's feelings for her and had kidnapped her. Janet shuddered at the memory. 

Sam brushed her hand against Janet's when she saw the shudder. "Who is she?"

This was clearly not her Sanctuary, not her Stargate. So, they hadn't traveled back in time but rather into an alternate reality? How was that possible without a Quantum Mirror? The Stargate couldn't do that, it doesn't work that way, she would know if it did. She knew all there was to know about the Stargate, she's the one who figured out how to power it up and make it work. It was after all, her Ancient ancestors’ technology. But, perhaps she didn’t know everything about the Stargate, it’s not like her father had actually taught her about it, she’d had to figure it out on her own. 

There was a click, the door was unlocking, and a moment later it opened. She wasn't sure what or who she'd been expecting to come into the room, but it had certainly not been herself. She blinked as she stood to face the other woman eye to matching eye. "Dear lord."

Sam blinked, not because she’d come face to face with herself, she was an old pro at meeting alternate reality Carters. She was surprised by how weird it was to hear herself use that phrase. ‘Dear god’ or ‘dear lord’ was one of her mother's favorite phrases to use when expressing shock or surprise, and hearing herself say it was just, well, bizarre. She blinked again. Did she have an accent? It was a bit washed out but that was clearly an English accent.

Since Sam seemed a bit thrown off Daniel decided to speak first. "Hello, I'm…"

"Colonel Daniel O'Neill, yes, I know who you are." She said as she continued to stare at herself with short highlighted blonde hair. Really short hair. She would never!

"Colonel?" Sam repeated, suddenly intrigued by more than her double’s voice, and turn of phrase.

"O'Neill?" Daniel squeaked, his eyes going wide behind his glasses.

She looked at Sam and narrowed her eyes. "You I do not know because obviously you're not me."

"Colonel Samantha Carter." Sam replied easily. "And you are?"

She cocked an inquisitive eyebrow as she looked the other her over. "Doctor Samantha Magnus."

Sam had met other versions of herself; this wasn't her first alternate reality crossover, but those incidents had all happened before she'd learned the truth about her parentage. She'd wondered a time or two if Doctor Carter had known the truth about who her parents had been, or if Helen and Thomas where her parents in all realties, maybe somewhere out there Sam Carter was really Jacob and Debra Carter's biological daughter. Since finding out the truth of her own realty the one thing Sam had wondered about more than anything else was what would she be like, who would she have been if she'd been Samantha Magnus, and now here she was face to face with her.

While Sam and Samantha continued sizing each other up Daniel shook off his need to know why she'd called him O'Neill and asked, "We need to know what you're doing here and how you got here?"

Shifting her attention from Sam to Daniel, Samantha looked him up and down, clearly sizing him up. She didn’t bother hiding her distaste for him. "I need to speak to her alone and in private, Colonel. Be a good lad and bring us some tea, would you? Thank you ever so much."

"Doctor." Daniel corrected. "Doctor Daniel Jackson, not colonel, and not O'Neill, really, really, not O'Neill."

Samantha looked amused. "Really? You and Jack aren't married in this reality? Interesting."

"Wait? What? No!" Daniel replied, his face almost comical in its display of his shock.

It was taking everything in Sam not to laugh. "Daniel, give us the room, and cut the audio."

Daniel just nodded and left, to thrown by the idea that in some timeline somewhere way out there he and Jack… Well, just when they thought things couldn't get any weirder.

Once they were alone and Sam felt they could talk privately she turned to Samantha and asked, "What happened? How did you get here?"

"We came through the Stargate." Samantha explained. Sam was about to speak but she raised her hand to stop her and continued. "Yes, I know, it shouldn't be possible but here I am. We were meant to travel back in time, not across dimensions."

"You keep saying we. Who came with you?" Sam asked.

"I came with her, would be more precise." Samantha replied. "Imogene Worth."

Sam shook her head. It was so easy to forget how different things could be between realities. "Imogene Worth, Adam Worth's daughter? She's dead. She died in 1898."

"Interesting." Samantha replied as she and Sam took seats at the table. "In my reality it was her father who died in 1898 and she's been hell bent on vengeance against the one responsible ever since, or at least the one she thinks responsible."

"Your mother." Sam said knowingly. It wasn’t a huge leap to guess that if a Worth felt slighted, it was Helen Magnus they blamed. "She went back to keep the timeline intact after Worth went back to save his daughter?"

Samantha nodded. "Yes, but things went pear shaped in my reality and Adam died instead of his daughter. Mum brought her back to the present with her, and acted as a foster parent to her, the ungrateful bitch."

“My Mom succeeded here, both Imogene and Adam are dead.” Sam told said as she tried not to flinch at the anger coming off the other woman. With a Worth involved this was quickly becoming a Sanctuary issue, not just a Stargate issue. She'd have to call in her mom. "How did you get access to your Stargate?"

"Oh, that was rather simple." Samantha said with a smug smile. "It's my Stargate."

Confusion danced across Sam's face as she replied, "Yours?"

Samantha nodded. "I'm Head of House for the Stargate Sanctuary."

Sam's jaw dropped.

"Oh, now I understand why that look annoys Mum." Samantha laughed. "I do look rather like a gasping fish."

Since they didn't know if or when Samantha would be hit with entropic cascade failure because she'd entered a reality where there was already a Sam, they didn't have a lot of time for explanations and protocol. Once Sam had the gist of things, she and Samantha went to brief the others. It wasn't easy given the secrecy of the Sanctuary. It would have been a hell of lot simpler if Hammond or Jack were still in charge, and they had the original SG1 in place, because they knew in some small way about Helen's work. But Landry, Cam, and Vala hadn't earned that kind of trust yet, and were therefore ignorant of all things Magnus. 

"I've already called my mother." Sam said as she looked at those gathered around her. "She and her team are on the way."

"Colonel." Landry said in a disapproving tone, his eyes a little wide at the clear breach in protocol.

"Sir." Sam cut in before he could go on a tirade. "With all due respect, my mother’s life could be in danger. She needed to be warned. And as I said, this isn't really an SGC matter, Sir."

"She used the Stargate to get here." Landry argued.

"It was her Stargate to use, Sir, not ours." Sam pointed out.

"The President…"

"Will side with Sam's mom." Daniel cut in.

Landry looked at the SGC vets in the room, Sam, Daniel, Teal'c and Janet. "Why do I get the feeling there's a whole lot you people aren't telling me?"

"Nothing personal, General." Daniel said with a shrug of apology.

"This is why I work with as few military types as possible." Samantha commented. "You just muck about while things need to get done." She cut her eyes to Daniel as if waiting for an argument from him.

"Don't look at me." Daniel said as he held up his hands. "Not your Daniel, remember?"

"Yes, you're much more palatable than my Colonel O'Neill." Samantha replied.

"Colonel?" Janet repeated with wide eyes.

"O'Neill?" Teal'c asked with a raised eyebrow.

Daniel groaned and dropped is head into his hands, his elbows firmly planted on the table’s surface.

Vala slipped her arm around him and leaned in close to ask, "Is there something I should know about you Daniel?"

As soon as she'd gotten off the phone with her daughter Helen had gathered up her team. She couldn't give them a lot of detail about why they had to drop everything and go to Colorado Springs because she didn't have a lot of detail to give. She told them that there had been an incident near the Stargate, and that it somehow involved Worth, and that her life was in danger. Adam was dead. How was he a threat to her now? Knowing that her mother could be in danger had Ashley acting overly protective. Thankfully, Helen had Will along to balance out the team. Knowing her Sanctuary was in good hands with her old friend and Henry, Helen and her team boarded her private plane and headed for Colorado Springs.

"We came out somewhere around here." Samantha said as she pointed to the map laid out on the conference table. "I chased after her and ended up on this stretch of road. That's when I knew things hadn't gone as Imogene had expected them too. Her plan had been to use my Stargate to go back to 1898 to stop her father's death."

"But instead you ended up here, crossing the barriers between reality rather than time." Sam said with a soft hum as she tried to work this out in her head. "Are you sure that was her plan? You said she'd been lying to you all along perhaps this is what she meant to do?"

Samantha shook her head. "She admitted to me what she was planning. She wanted to go back and prevent her father's death and then kill my mother to keep them safe from her. All this time and she was harboring nothing but ill will towards those of us who did nothing but try and help her."

"Well, if her plans involve using the Stargate to go back, she's stuck here." Sam said. "There's no way she's getting access to ours."

"She's broken enough to try and take out her revenge on your version of Helen Magnus." Samantha pointed out. "Now that she's aware she can jump realities; she's broken enough to try and take out all versions of Helen Magnus."

Sam smirked. "She could certainly try, but my Mom's a force to be reckoned with."

"So is mine." Samantha replied with an eerily similar smirk.

Landry stepped out of his office to let Sam know that, "Your guests have arrived, Colonel."

"Thank you, Sir." Sam said and excused herself to collect her mother and whomever she brought with her.

"That was fast." Cam commented.

Landry nodded. "To fast for a commercial flight."

Janet laughed. "Helen Magnus doesn't fly commercial, she flies herself."

When Sam and Helen walked in, Helen stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Samantha. "Dear god." She whispered in shock. "Samantha, that's you."

"Sort of but not really." Sam replied. "Have I ever mentioned how we, and by we I mean Daniel blindly touching something he shouldn't have, kind of proved the alternate reality theory to be true?"

Cam's eyes went wide when Sam and her mom walked in. "That's Carter's momma?"

"Yeap." Janet said with a smile.

"She's stunning." Vala purred. "Is she single?"

"Vala." Daniel rolled his eyes and groaned while reaching for the collar of her shirt to make her stop moving towards Helen.

"Wait, no, seriously how is that Sam's mom?" Cam asked. "She doesn't look like a mom, well, I mean maybe someone's mom, but not Sam's."

"Diet, exercise, and really amazing skin care." Janet said with an absolutely straight face.

Sam had been trying to explain everything to Helen who was caught a bit off guard to say the least. When Sam introduced the woman as Doctor Samantha Magnus her first instant was to reach for Sam, to brush the back of her fingers along her chin in a comforting way. They had had many a late-night chat over good wine and better chocolate about what things would have been like, if only. She knew how the phantom of Samantha Magnus had loomed over Sam and now it would appear she was a specter no longer. When Sam looked at her with a look that said she was shaken but ok Helen smiled and returned her focus to the issue at hand.

Just as Sam and Helen moved towards the table so Sam could introduce her to the new members of the SGC, Will and Ashley walked in. This being Will's first time at the Mountain meant he had to sign releases and forms and have his clearance checked. Ashley had stayed with him so she could take him to the conference room when he was done.

"I'm not sure but I think I just signed over my first born." Will teased as he walked in.

Samantha turned at the sound of his voice. Her heart stopped. She knew deep down this wasn't her William, in her head she knew, but the last time she'd seen her William he was bleeding out on the floor of the gate room. Her heart squeezed painful in her chest and her eyes burned with tears. She was moving before she could even think of stopping herself. "William."

They all watched in various degrees of surprise as Samantha nearly ran to Will and kissed him.

Sam blinked and cleared her throat. "So apparently in her reality I'm straight and Daniel's gay."

"Gay for O'Neill at least." Vala snickered.

"Why are you people my friends?" Daniel groaned. "No, seriously why?"

"The hell Sammie?" Ashley said as she watched the woman kissing Will.

"Not me Ash." Sam called out and waved at her sister.

The youngest Magnus' head whipped back and forth several times before she repeated, "What the hell Sammie?"

Will gently pushed the woman away from him. The look of horror on her face only barely masked the pain and grief.

"Oh, dear lord." Samantha breathed out. "I'm so sorry."

"It's, um, alright, I guess." Will replied looking confused as hell.

Sam walked over to them and began explaining once again why there was two of her. Once everyone was caught up on that part, she began explaining Imogene Worth with Samantha filling in the blanks. Landry told them he'd sent men out to comb the surrounding area, but they hadn't found anything yet. Samantha told them that she'd shot Imogene, so she was badly wounded and suggested that perhaps they look into hospitals or pharmacies.

"She's obviously realized by now that everything has gone pear shaped." Helen said as she looked at the faces around the table. "Samantha…"

Two sets of eyes looked at Helen and replied, "Yes?"

Helen blinked. She looked at them both and then said, "My Samantha."

Sam smirked. "Just for now Mom you're going to have to give in and call me Sam."

Helen made a face that said she would really rather not, and then sighed a long putout kind of sigh when she realized she had little choice in the matter. If she were going to distinguish to whom she was speaking she’d have to call her daughter something, and she sure as hell wasn't going to call her Carter. "Sam," She began again, her lips curling as if she'd just sucked on a lemon. "Is there any way for Imogene to use her device without direct access to the Stargate?"

"From what Samantha's told me of it, no." Sam answered.

Helen nodded and then turned her attention to Samantha. "Aside from seeking me out, would Imogene try to seek out anyone else? Someone else she wished to harm or someone she might think to be an ally?"

Samantha thought about it and then said, "If she's unable to treat her wound herself she might seek out someone who she thinks might help her. She has a bit of an obsessive crush on my Mum's girlfriend. She might seek her out for medical attention."

Helen's eyes went wide with concern. "Charlotte."

"Who?" Samantha replied and then shook her head and said, "No. Janet."

Now it was Janet's eyes widening. "What? Who?" She said as her gaze darted between Sam, Helen, and Samantha. "Wait. Me?"

"My Janet was Mum's protégé before William." Samantha explained while looking at everyone but Will. It hurt too much to look at Will. "She recruited her just out of medical school." She smirked as she continued, "Literality seduced her out of a horrid marriage and away from any thought of joining the Air Force."

Ashley snorted. "Janet has a type."

"Magnus women." Will said with a smirk.

"Clearly she has excellent taste in women no matter the reality." Vala threw in while eyeing Helen.

"Janet might be our best chance at drawing Imogene out." Samantha said.

Sam, who'd been silently eyeing Vala, trying to get the woman to stop staring at her mother like Helen was some half-dressed Victoria Secret model, narrowed her eyes as she turned to look at Samantha. "How so?"

"Seeking out Janet's help would be easier than trying to storm this place." Samantha explained. "Imogene is aware of some of the lesser known ways in and out of the Mountain but even she'll realize that it's impossible to simply get to the gate with such a heavy military presence. She may well figure out that Janet could be a way in."

"Are you suggesting we use Janet as bait?" Sam replied. "No way."

"Sam's right." Helen added in. "If anyone's going to be bait it'll be me."

"Oh yeah sure that's better." Sam huffed. "We either use my wife or my mother as bait for a crackpot that's just as twisted and messed up as her father was."

"Seeing you will set her off." Samantha told Helen. "I don't think she'd hurt Janet but you she'd kill on sight."

"She could try." Ashley said before adding, "We'd have Janet's back, Sammie." She reassured her sister. “We would never let her get hurt.” 

"Janet is hardly a helpless damsel, Sam." Helen added.

"Thank you!" Janet said from where she sat.

Helen smiled softly before saying; "With the proper planning this could work, and once we have Imogene in custody you can find a way to send them back."

Sam didn't like this. She didn't like it one bit, but her mother was right. Janet could take care of herself and had proved that over and over again. They would provide backup, nothing would happen to her, but that still didn't make this any easier. They worked out a plan to try and lure Imogene out into the open using Samantha's knowledge of her, but Sam still felt like that was leaving a lot up in the air. She watched with a lot of apprehension as Janet left the Mountain alone, climbing into her car and pulling away. She was wearing a wire so they could hear what was happening and she hadn't left unarmed, but Sam would have felt a lot better about this if she'd been with her. The ten minutes she had to wait before they could follow were long and painful. Feeling her mother step up beside her helped. Helen just had this way of radiating strength that Sam and Ashley seemed to be able to soak up like a sponge.

Janet had made a couple of stops on the way home so she could be seen by Imogene if she were lurking around the base looking for a way in. That’s what made the most sense, Imogene spotting Janet and following her home. But as soon as Janet walked into the home she shared with Sam; she knew something felt off. Drawing her sidearm she began to inch her way into the living room. The woman standing near the fireplace holding a framed picture let Janet know she'd been a step ahead of them. The woman was tall, not as tall as Sam but almost, and slender. Her hair was long and dark and pulled back. Her skin was pale, though at the moment it was white and covered in a sheen of sweat most likely from blood loss. Janet aimed her gun and was about to speak but Imogene spoke first.

"Things in this world are so different." She didn't even bother turning towards Janet or looking up from the picture. "Military soldiers swarming the Stargate Sanctuary is an obvious difference, but it's the little things that intrigue me. Your hair is longer, and its color is more natural here. Where I'm from it's very short and very blonde, much like your Samantha's is. I like this look on you better." Imogene put the picture of Sam and Janet back on the mantel and then turned to face Janet. She laughed softly when she found herself at gunpoint. "Well, perhaps not everything is completely different. Typical Sanctuary protocol, point a gun at the problem and hope for the best outcome."

"I don't want to hurt you." Janet said in a reassuring but strong tone.

"Of course, you don't Doctor Fraiser." Imogene replied. "Or is it Doctor Magnus in this reality? I must admit to being rather amused by the thought of you and Samantha together. My Helen is rather possessive of you, and my Samantha is rather caught up with her insipid William. The man was all brains and no backbone. It was easy to see why a man like him would attach himself to someone like Samantha. Though I will admit he was very gallant in his last heroic act, saving Samantha's life by jumping in front of my bullet the way he did. One can only hope that their precious son inherited a bit of that bravado. He'll need it if he's going to survive long enough for Helen and Druitt to find him."

Janet watched as the woman moved, staggering from weakness, towards her. "Why don't you sit down and let me look at that wound."

Imogene stopped moving and smiled. "Shall I tell you were he is, darling?" She called out, clearly not speaking to Janet. "Would you like to know where I stashed little John William? Such a sweet boy, he cuddled his Auntie Imogene the whole way there. Do you think your parents have found him yet? How often do you think Ashley checks that werewolf's habitat? What does Helen call the beast? Henry? Perhaps Henry's already eaten poor little Johnny."

"No." Samantha whispered as she bolted from the car. She was running towards the house with Sam right behind her but they both stopped for a moment when they heard a gunshot.

When they burst into the living room Imogene was on the floor out cold while Janet stood with her weapon still trained on her.

"Is she…" Samantha began to ask.

Janet shook her head and held up her sidearm to show the red light on the bottom of the grip. "Training weapon. She's unconscious. Sam, give me a hand."

Sam nodded her understanding, aiming her Zat at the woman on the floor just in case, while Janet went for her medical kit. "What happened?"

"She pissed me off." Janet answered and then looked up at Samantha. "Did she really take your son?"

Samantha nodded. She was trembling as the fear overtook her. "To distract me so she could use the Stargate." When it looked as if Sam were about to say something comforting or reassuring Samantha held up her hand. "My parents are looking for him. They'll find him."

It looked like Sam would continue to wonder what her life would have been like if she'd been raised by her mother, because this version of Samantha Magnus could never be who she would have been. Samantha's life had been influenced by Druitt's presence as her stepfather as well as a lack of Henry's, who in Samantha's reality hadn't been raised as Helen's son but a beast in a cage. Unless someone rewrote her life story, Sam would never know what she would have been like if things had been different. As she worked on a way to get Samantha and Imogene back to their own world Sam was finally coming to terms with that. Life was what it was and despite what she'd lost, she'd gained as well, and it had all lead to her having a happy life. She loved her family; she had Janet and Cassie, a career that mattered to her. Sam's life was good. She was who she was meant to be. Samantha Elizabeth Magnus Carter.

Sam would never know just how right she was about not being anything like Doctor Samantha Magnus. She had figured out a way to get her and Imogene home and after thank yous were said at the Gate, Samantha and Imogene walked out of their reality and back into their own. Samantha's Helen was waiting. Her hair was a little shorter and more of a chestnut brown than black. She had bandages on her arms, and over her eye, with specs of blood spotting the white fabric that said she'd been in a resent fight. As soon as she saw her mother, Samantha roughly pushed Imogene to her second in command. Declan grabbed hold of Imogene and held her securely while Samantha ran to Helen. "Johnny?"

"He's safe, love. A few scrapes, a little frightened, but otherwise unharmed. He's with Ashley." Helen reassured. "Afraid we had to put Henry down though."

A small weight was lifted from her, but one remained. "And William?"

Helen smiled reassuringly. "In the infirmary. He's alive, thanks to Janet, but not out of the woods."

Samantha dropped her head as the tears welled in her eyes. She'd been so sure William was dead. The relief she felt was almost too much to handle.

"What do we do with Miss Worth?" John asked as he stepped up to mother and daughter.

There was only one thing to do. Samantha moved so quickly those around her hadn't had time to take in a breath let alone stop her. John always had a knife on him. Samantha grabbed it from where he had it hidden and threw it. The look of shock and surprise in Imogene's eyes as blood bubbled from the knife in her throat was almost comical, not that Samantha saw it. She looked at her mother and said, "Take me to William, Mum, please, and have Ashley bring me my son."

"Of course, love." Helen said with a nod as she put her arm around her daughter and begin to guide her out of the gate room. "John, be a dear, and have the sasquatch clean up before that congeals. Blood is a bitch to get out of metal grating."


	10. Right as Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam gets sick. Helen comes to take care of her.

Helen pulled into the driveway and right away knew something was off. Not only was the garage door left open, which neither Sam nor Janet would do for safety reasons, but Sam's car was parked haphazardly inside. Just like her lab, the garage was always kept neat and tidy unless Sam was actively working on something. Helen frowned as she slipped out of her rental car, knowing the sight within was unusual for her daughter. Walking into the open garage she looked things over with a critical eye. Other than the ill parked car nothing seemed out of place. She peeked inside Sam's car to make sure there were no keys inside and then headed back towards her own, hitting the garage door controller on her way out. The door closed behind her while she walked to the passenger side of her rental. She grabbed an overnight bag, a small duffle bag, and her purse from the passenger seat and then locked the car. Helen rummaged through her purse for her keys while thinking back to a few hours ago when she'd gotten an unexpected call from Cassandra.

"I know she said she was fine, but I could hear it in her voice. Sam's really sick." Cassie told her grandmother over the phone. "And if she's sick enough for Doctor Lam to send her home then it has to be bad. I know her Nana; she isn't going to take care of herself. She tried to fix the dishwasher once with a fever of one hundred and two point four. It wasn't pretty. There was blood. I know how busy you are and normally I wouldn't bother you with this, but Mom's off world and…"

"It's alright Cassie." Helen had reassured. "I'm glad you called me. I'll see to Samantha. Don't worry, sweetheart."

After making arrangements to leave the Sanctuary and the network in Ashley's capable hands, with Will backing her up, Helen packed a few things and flew out as soon as she could manage. Ashley and Will had turned into quite the duo and Helen felt more and more comfortable leaving things in their care. And at times like this she was incredibly grateful for that ability because it gave her the chance to do things like fly off to take care of her sick grown-up child. Helen had missed out on tending to Samantha when she was little and even though it broke her heart to think of Samantha feeling poorly, she savored the change to experience the moment.

"Samantha?" Helen called out softly as she set her bags down in the front hall. There was no reply. Helen headed for the living room where she noticed the telltale flickering of a television left on. It was growing dark outside, so the room was cast in the shadows of twilight and the television. Sam was laying on the sofa wrapped in a blanket. There was a half empty mug of tea on the coffee table along with scattered papers, folders, and blueprint paper. A compass was placed on an open sleeve of saltine crackers, a white drafting pencil had rolled onto the floor, and Sam was still holding a drafting square in her hand as if she were holding the paw of a teddy bear.

Even from a distance Helen could see that Sam was flushed. Walking towards the sofa she gently called out, "Samantha?" And this time Sam stirred a bit. Helen smiled as she reached for the drafting square, which she carefully took from Sam's grasp, and set it aside. Kneeling down in front of the sofa Helen pressed her hand against Sam's forehead and gasped. "Oh, Samantha you're burning up." She quickly looked around for any sign that Sam had taken something for her fever but didn't see anything. Turning back to look down at Sam's flushed face Helen gently shook her. "Samantha darling, wake up, its Mom."

Sam moaned. Somewhere in her fever addled brain she was struggling with her fight response. She was aware someone was close by, that someone was touching her, calling out to her, but not who that someone was. So, as she started coming around Sam acted on instinct.

Luckily, Helen had expected that and easily caught Sam's flailing arms by the wrists. "Easy sweetheart." She said soothingly. "It's just me, love."

"Mom?" Sam groaned as she finally opened her eyes. As soon as Helen came into focus, she frowned. "Mom, what are you doing here?"

Helen smiled as she let Sam go only to reach out and brush at her sweat damp hair. "Cassie called me. She told me you weren't feeling well."

"I'm fine, Mom." Sam said as she forced her aching body to sit up. She tried not to groan too much. Everything hurt, even her hair hurt, her eyelashes hurt, but she wasn't going to let on to that. "You didn't have to fly all the way from Old City just to check on me."

"I did have to fly all the way from Old City to check on you." Helen argued. "Because you are not fine my darling. Samantha, sweetheart you're burning up, and you're in a great deal of discomfort. Have you taken anything?"

The blonde had to think about that for a moment and thinking wasn't easy. It felt like her head was stuffed with soggy burning cotton wool. Sitting up, Sam dislodged the blanket cocoon she had wrapped herself in and now she was shivering, that didn't help her think either. "I think maybe Carolyn gave me something before she forced me off base."

"Carolyn is Janet's second officer?" Helen asked as she wrapped the blanket around Sam's shoulders.

"She's not military. Use to work at CDC, infectious stuff, oh, might know Charlotte." Sam replied. "But yeah she's doc when Jan's not on base."

Helen nodded her understanding. She would call the infirmary at Stargate Command and ask what if any treatment Sam had been given. The fact that she was sent home let Helen know it wasn't anything otherworldly, but it was obvious Sam had a very bad case of the flu if not pneumonia. She would do a full exam once she had Sam settled in bed. "Come now love." She said as she helped Sam to her feet. "Let’s get you tucked away proper, hmm?"

"I'm not that sick, Mom." Sam whined. "I'll be fine on the couch."

"Humor an old woman." Helen replied. As they made their way up the stairs Sam began coughing. When the coughing fit was over Sam laid her head on Helen's shoulder and Helen knew no matter how much Sam said she was fine she most certainly was not.

Sam had still been in her work clothes, which were now damp from sweat, so after sitting Sam on the bed Helen gathered up a fresh t-shirt, and a pair of boy-short underwear she was assuming were Sam’s from size and style, for Sam to put on. She would have helped but Sam down right refused to be dressed by her mother. Helen chuckled softly and gave in. "Change while I call Doctor Lam."

"I'm not a baby." Sam huffed at her mother.

"No, you're not." Helen agreed. "But you are my child so do as you are told, Samantha."

Sam huffed and pouted and began to fight with her shirt to get it off.

Helen slipped out of the room with an amused smirk. Heading back downstairs she called the Mountain and asked to be connected to Doctor Lam. She hadn't met the young doctor yet, but if Janet trusted her with the care and well-being of her people than Helen would give her the benefit of the doubt. "Doctor Lam? Yes, this is Doctor Helen Magnus; I'm Samantha Carter's mother. Samantha can't seem to recall if you'd given her any treatment and I wanted to double check before starting anything myself. I'd also like your initial diagnosis."

The duffle bag was full of things Helen had taken from her own medical supplies. After speaking to Carolyn, she carried it upstairs so she could give Sam something that would help with her fever and ease some of her discomfort and pain. When she walked into the room Sam was dressed in the t-shirt and shorts looking as smug as someone who obviously felt so poorly could manage. Helen smirked. "Good girl."

Sam narrowed her eyes at her mother. "It's just the flu. I'll be fine."

"Perhaps." Helen replied as she pulled a stethoscope out of her bag. "Lay back darling."

Sam groaned but did as she was told. "You're going to be a bigger nag than Janet, aren't you?"

"More than likely." Helen admitted with a chuckle.

There was a rattle in Sam's chest Helen didn't like. She'd keep an eye on that. The flu could so easily turn into something more dangerous, and Helen had the memories and experience to know it shouldn't be taken lightly. After settling Sam under the covers Helen gave her a shot of something for the fever and the aches and pains. Then she sat on the edge of the bed wiping Sam's face with a cool cloth as Sam drifted back to sleep. When Sam gave a soft sigh a short time later, Helen knew she was feeling a little more comfortable and relaxed a little. Brushing gently at Sam’s short blonde hair, Helen watched her daughter for a moment before saying, "It's alright now, love.” Sam snuggled further into her pillows as her sleep deepened, and Helen smiled. “Mummy's here, and I'll make it all better, I promise."

With Sam asleep Helen headed downstairs. She cleaned up the small mess Sam had managed to make and then called to let Cassie know everything was going to be all right. She didn't want the girl spending too much time and energy worrying about Sam when she had her studies to be concerned about. Helen didn't hover but she did check on Sam several times during the night. She gave her another dose of medication for her fever and wiped her down with a cool cloth from a bowl of water she'd added some eucalyptus too to help Sam breathe a little easier. Then she got a couple of hours of sleep in the guest room.

Sam moaned softly as she began to awaken. She was achy, she felt gross from sweating, and despite the fact that she was shivering she felt overly warm and flushed. She was a bit startled to find herself in her room, and in her bed. It took several minutes for her to remember how she'd gotten there. When she did something warm washed over her that had nothing to do with her fever. Helen had come all the way to Colorado Springs from Old City just to take care of her while she had the flu. That made Sam smile for a moment before she snuggled back into her pillows and blankets. She was about to drift back to sleep when she heard the click of the door unlatching.

"Good, you're awake." Helen said as she stepped into the room. "I didn't really want to have to wake you. How are you feeling darling?"

Sam groaned and replied, "Crappy."

Helen set the tray she was carrying down on the dresser and then walked over to sit on the edge of the bed. She felt Sam's forehead and frowned a little. "Your fever has gone down but it hasn't broken yet."

Sam tried to shift so she was lying on her back and that's when she felt the tug of something on her left hand. Lifting her hand up she frowned when she saw the tape on her hand and the plastic bulge it was holding in place. "An IV, Mom? Really? That's a little over the top don't you think?"

"I have a medical degree from Oxford and one hundred and thirty odd years of medical experience that says hush Samantha and let Mummy do what she does best." Helen replied as she gave her daughter a smile before standing to retrieve the tray. "Now, sit up please darling. I want you to try and eat a little something."

"I'm really not hungry." Sam whined.

"I know." Helen said sympathetically. "But you still need to eat a little. It's just dry toast and some banana, and tea."

Sam shook her head and pouted. "I don't feel like eating anything right now."

"Samantha." Helen said softly while giving her daughter a look.

"No." Sam replied with a huff.

Helen stood there glaring softly at Sam while Sam glared back. She tried very hard not to smirk or smile at the adorable petulant look on Sam's face. When Ashley was little, she turned into a huge cuddle bug when she was feeling poorly. Helen wondered if Sam would have been her pouty little grouch. "Samantha Elizabeth."

"That's not fair." Sam whinged. She sat up, propping herself up against her pillows and the headboard. "I'm sick. You can't middle name me when I'm sick."

This time Helen didn't bother to curb her amusement over the situation, and Sam’s behavior. She set the tray on Sam's lap and then reached out to brush at her daughter's short, sweat matted, and sleep spiked hair. She gave Sam a smile that said good girl and then moved across the room to get the ear thermometer to get a proper reading on Sam's lingering fever.

Sam looked down at the plate of toast on the tray and crinkled her nose before blinking. "Does my toast have a face?"

Helen almost blushed. "Yes." There was a pause before she said, "I would make teddy bear or bunny faces for Ashley when she was small. I guess old habits and all that."

There was that warm fuzzy feeling again. Sam looked up and caught her mother's gaze and smiled. "Thanks."

The smile Helen gave Sam said more than her words could. They did that a lot. They said more through looks than either could find the words to express. It had been sort of a saving grace in the early days of their relationship when things were awkward and a little uncomfortable. Now it was just a natural, reassuring thing between them. Walking over to her daughter Helen put the thermometer in Sam's ear while watching Sam pick up slices of banana and eat them as if eating banana was an ungodly hardship. Helen smiled softly before the thermometer beeped and she frowned. "Still much too high for my liking."

"Yeah," Sam didn't sound surprised. "I don't get sick often but when I do I do it well."

Helen chuckled softly while trading the thermometer for her stethoscope. There was still a bit of a rattle in Sam's chest, so she decided to set up a humidifier. After Sam finished eating Helen gave her another injection and then let her go back to sleep.

For three full days Helen made sure Sam ate and rested. Sam would whine and pout, and whenever Helen sent her off to the bathroom to shower and change into clean pajamas while she changed the bed linen, Sam acted quite the little brat. The decorated Air Force colonel heard Samantha Elizabeth a lot over those first few days. Sam still felt like crap, but her grumpiness seemed to fade away with the worst of her illness, after that she was more cuddly, and even kind of a dork. When Helen had decided that Sam was finally on an upswing, she took out Sam's IV and allowed her to set up camp on the sofa. Helen wouldn't let Sam work, but Sam seemed to be content with watching reruns of I Dream of Jeannie, The Addams Family, and McHale's Navy.

Now that Sam didn't feel so bogged down by the fever, she noticed something that made her smile. "You're humming."

"Hmm?" Helen replied as she set Sam's lunch on the coffee table. "Am I?"

Sam nodded. "Whenever you're fussing over me you hum." She paused and bit her lip for a moment and then she smiled an even brighter smile. "It's Sally's lullaby. The one I remember from my dreams."

Helen hadn't realized she'd been doing that but now that Sam had pointed it out, she had been humming the melody of the song. "Sally may sing it but it isn't her lullaby, Samantha, it's yours."

"Mine?" Sam asked with a bit of confusion and a lot of curiosity.

Helen nodded as she sat beside her daughter and then reached for the bowl of soup, she wanted Sam to eat. She handed the bowl to Sam as she explained; "Mermaids create a unique song for each individual child they wish to sing for. That song was Sally's gift to you, it's your lullaby."

"I didn't know that." Sam replied softly. The phantom lullaby from her childhood dreams had been the first real connection Sam had felt when she found out about who Helen was. It had been special to her and now it was even more so. After finishing off her lunch Sam curled up under her blanket and leaned into Helen's side, resting her head on Helen's shoulder. When Helen started humming Sam closed her eyes and smiled.

Two more days passed, and Sam was finally feeling human again. She was still fatigued, a little sore and her dry cough lingered, but no fever, no deep aches or pains, no cold sweats, and chills. She had color back in her cheeks and her eyes were bright not glassy. She was sitting on the sofa, curled up under her blanket, reading when she heard the front door open.

"Sam?" Janet called out before dropping her things at the foot of the stairs.

Sam smiled brightly. "In here babe."

Janet walked in and made a beeline right for Sam. "Are you alright? Carolyn said she sent you home with the flu."

"Feeling much better." Sam reassured.

Janet was already looking Sam over as she moved across the room towards her. As soon as she reached her she cupped Sam's face, checking for fever, ran her hands along her neck checking for swelling, and drew her wrist to her lips, kissing her wife's pulse point to check her heart rate.

Sam chuckled softly. "I'm fine, Janet. I'm over the worst of it."

"I can see that." Janet replied with a bit of confusion. "Don't take this the wrong way, honey, but you don't look as bad as I was expecting, not after spending five days sick and alone."

Sam laughed as she pulled Janet onto her lap. "I wasn't alone." She informed her wife. Janet gave her a look that told her to explain. "Your daughter has a big mouth."

That didn't help any. Janet blinked and then raised a questioning eyebrow. "My daughter? What did Cass do to be just my daughter?"

"She called my mother." Sam replied. "You just missed her. She went to the store. We're out of blue jello."

"Oh, thank god." Janet sighed in relief and relaxed knowing that Sam hadn’t spent the week alone. 

"I know right. We should never be out of blue jello." Sam said with a smile.

Janet rolled her eyes. "I meant thank god someone was here to look after you, you dork."

Sam looked a bit offended. "You people do know I'm a grown woman who can take care of herself right? I mean, really, I managed to take care of myself before you lot came along."

"It's a miracle you managed to survive before us." Janet teased with a bright smile.

"Cheeky little turtle." Sam replied before properly saying hello and welcome home to her wife.

Sam almost didn't want to feel better. Having Helen all to herself, having her mom taking care of her, Sam wanted to be selfish and not give that up. But she did get better, and Janet was home, and she had to get back to work and Helen needed to get back to the Sanctuary, so there wasn't any real reason for Helen to stay. Although Sam didn't allow it to show on the outside, on the inside the little girl in Sam was crying great big sad tears as Sam walked Helen to her car. Sammie didn't want her mummy to go just yet. Sam smiled and hugged her mom tight. "Thanks Mom."

"You are very welcome, love." Helen said as she returned Sam's tight embrace. Pulling back, she reached up and held Sam's face in her hands and then pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. "I'll call soon to check in and see how you're doing."

"Ok." Sam replied. "Fly safe."

Helen smiled while waving at Janet who stood on the porch. "No worries. I only crash when Will's with me."

"That is in no way comforting." Sam complained.

Helen laughed. "Goodbye my darling."

"Bye Mom." Sam replied as Helen slipped into the car.

Sam watched as Helen pulled out of the driveway. She'd been there for seven full days, but Sam felt as if it had just been mere moments. As she headed towards the porch Sam actually though about skipping her flu shot again next year too, but she knew that would be highly unlikely. The only reason she'd gotten away with it this year was because Janet had been focused on other things and Carolyn just didn't know Sam as well.

As she headed inside Sam wondered if Helen knew just how much this had meant to her. More than anything else Helen had done that week it was the simple fact that Helen was there that made the most difference. After spending most of her life as her father's daughter it was kind of funny for Sam to realize that at this age and stage in her life, she was a total mummy's girl.


	11. To Look Her in the Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam gets to confront the one who stole her life from her and Helen

As soon as the Odyssey returned to Atlantis, Sam and the rest of SG1 headed for the conference room for the mission debriefing. They told Daniel and Elizabeth Weir about what happened with the mission to highjack the super gate and their run in with the Wraith. When they were finished, Daniel reported what had happened in the holographic schoolroom. Sam listened as Daniel told them how he had not been interacting with a hologram but with an ascended being. He was hesitant to name who he had spoken with, and Sam noticed that he kept flicking his gaze towards her. The look in his caring blue eyes made something in her stomach knot up. She knew deep down she wasn't going to like the answer to the question she was going to ask but she had to ask it anyway.

"Who was it, Daniel?" She made him look at her. The force of her own gaze wouldn't allow Daniel to look away.

"Sam." Daniel said gently. "It doesn't matter. She's gone now and she won't be coming back."

"She?" Sam repeated the pronoun. Daniel flinched. Something in her very core began to heat up with anger while the rest of her felt cold. The look she was giving her friend now made the others in the room squirm. "Who was it, Daniel?"

Daniel swallowed hard before finally giving in under the pressure of Sam’s gaze and answering, "Morgan Le Fay."

Sam's breath hitched as if she'd been struck. For a moment she just sat there, her hands which had been resting on the table, slowly curled up into tight, white knuckled fists. Her thoughts and emotions swam around inside her like a brewing storm. Then she bolted to her feet and stormed out of the room.

"Sam?" Cam called after her, confused and concerned. 

Elizabeth Weir watched with unease as the air force colonel stormed out. She blinked, taken aback from the normally calm woman’s sudden burst of anger and then called out, "Colonel Carter?"

"Um, what the hell just happen?" Rodney McKay asked. "I tick her off all the time, but I have never seen her like that before."

Daniel sighed as he got to his feet. He gave Cam and Vala a look that said they needed to follow. "Sam has a personal history with this particular Ancient."

"What kind of personal history?" Elizabeth asked. She wasn’t invited to join SG1, but she followed them out of the conference room anyway, leaving the rest of her team behind to wonder what was up with Carter.

It wasn't his history to share so the question made Daniel uncomfortable. 

Sam stood in the holographic chamber trembling. It had been a long time since she'd felt this kind of angry rage and breathless hurt. Sam had been able to work through a lot of her feelings about her redirected life over the years since finding out the truth, and she was in a good place with it. She had been blessed to have Debra and Jacob Carter in her life while she had them. She was just as blessed to have been reunited with Helen. She knew without doubt that her parents, all of them, loved her. She wouldn't trade being Sam Carter for anything. And yet there was still this stone in the pit of her soul that needed to know why, that needed to come face to face with the ones who had taken it upon themselves to play with her life and the lives of the people she loved.

"I don't believe for a moment that you’re not here!" Sam shouted into the empty room. "You're no quivering underling, cowering in the shadows afraid of the others! You're not like Oma, you're no pacifist or contemplative thinker! You're a strategist. You take action when it’s needed, consequences be damned!”

"Sam." Daniel called out gently from the doorway.

She ignored him. "I don't care about the goddamn weapon!” She continued shouting into the empty space. “You know why I'm here!"

"Sam, I know you have a lot to say to her, but she isn't coming back." Daniel said firmly but with a lot of sympathy. He knew what the Ancients had done to Sam, what they had taken from her. He had watched Sam deal with what happened, had been there for her, had given her someone to talk to and rant at in a way the others couldn’t understand. 

When Daniel put his hand on her arm Sam looked at him. She could see his caring and compassion for her, his love and concern. His uneasy wish that Janet or Jack or even Teal'c were here because they were better with this kind of thing. Daniel was doing his best to give her what she needed to get control and it almost worked. "She's still here Daniel and I'm not leaving until she faces me. I want her to look me in the eyes and tell me why she stole me from my mother."

Daniel was about to tell her that he understood her need to know but it was unlikely she would ever find any answers, but he never got the chance. The room filled with warm white light that forced him to blink. When he opened his eyes, he was outside the chamber with the others and the door was close, sealed shut.

"Daniel." Cam demanded when it became clear Sam was locked in the chamber and they couldn't get to her. "What the hell is going on?"

"I guess Sam was right." Daniel said, shocked. "Morgan was still around."

"And she's in there now?" Vala asked. "Alone with Sam? Why?"

"Is that Le Fay woman going to hurt Sam?" Cam demanded. "Is she some kind of threat?"

“Daniel,” Vala said gently as she looked into his eyes. “Samantha is our friend too. We only want to know if she’s in danger, please let us help if we can.” 

Daniel sighed as he took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose. It wasn’t his story to tell but it was clear the others were not about to let him skirt the questions any longer. Putting his glasses back on he took a deep breath and explained, "When Sam was about six weeks old, she was taken from her mother, from Doctor Magnus, and given to the Carters to raise." He found himself keeping his focus on Vala because for as much as she drove him crazy, she also had a way of grounding him. "Well, taken isn't really the right word. She was stolen, kidnapped, by the Ancients, by Morgan Le Fay to be exact."

"Why would they do that?" Elizabeth asked, confused, and appalled at the idea of a child being ripped from its mother.

"That's what Sam's trying to find out, I think." Daniel answered, shifting his attention from Vala to Elizabeth. "For a long time, all we knew was that instead of being ascended, which was the original plan, she was put on a path that would help the Ancients against an oncoming storm.” Daniel air quoted the phrase oncoming storm. “Sam is starting to think that it has something to do with the Ori.”

“Why would they have ascended Sam as a baby?” Vala looked horrified at the idea and pained at the thought of something being wrong with baby Sam. “Was she ill as a baby or something?

Daniel shook his head. “No, she was a healthy, happy baby from what Doctor Magnus remembers of her first few weeks of life.” Daniel had to take another deep breath before revealing another of his closest friend’s closely kept secrets. “Morgan was going to ascend Sam to punish her father.” 

"Her father?" Vala repeated.

Again, Daniel sighed, removed his glasses to nervously rub his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose, and then put his glasses back on. He hoped Sam didn't get mad at him for telling her secrets. "Her biological father was an Ancient named Thomas who'd taken human form and fell for Sam’s mother. When his time was up, he refused to leave them, and the others decided to punish him for it.”

When Sam opened her eyes after the light faded, she found herself face to face with the woman she'd seen in Thomas' memory. She looked just as she had that night, the night she took her from her crib and vanished with her, taking her from her home, from her mother, from her family. Taking her from people who would have meant something to her, but she never got the chance to know. Taking her from a life she never got to live. There stood the woman who would have snuffed out her human life all together if not for Oma. When Sam had returned to the SGC following her little sabbatical at the Sanctuary working on the containment cell for Druitt, Daniel had told her all about the new threat he'd come across. It didn't take long for her to figure out that the Ori were the oncoming storm Oma had mentioned that night. It was Oma’s declaration that Sam would help fight against the Ori that kept the woman standing before her now from ending her existence to punish Thomas for having the nerve to fall in love with a lowly human.

"Hello Samantha." Morgan said, her voice just as calm and level as it had been while answering Daniel's questions.

Sam was clenching her teeth so tightly that her jaw muscles twitched visibly under her skin. She was fighting the urge to strike out at the woman standing before her. "What right did you have to steal my life?"

"We did what was best." Morgan answered.

"Yeah, see, that's just it." Sam was so angry her cheeks were flushed. "You did what was best for you. You didn’t care what was best for me. I meant nothing to you.”

"Oma saw that you would be someone special." Morgan told her. "We needed to ensure that you would become who you are."

"That's bullshit." Sam replied as she pointed an accusing finger at Morgan. "I have enough experience with alternative versions of myself to know that ninety-five percent of the time I end up in the Stargate program no matter what the circumstances of my life were. You didn't have to take me from my mother! You did that for one reason and one reason only." She was in Morgan's face now. "To punish my father."

"He broke our laws." Morgan said firmly. "He interfered."

"You interfere all the damn time!" Sam shot back. "You interfered in my life! What made what you did right and what he did wrong? He didn't interfere in human evolution; he didn't become some powerful force the way Merlin did. He fell in love! The way I see it, the only thing he did wrong was embrace his humanity again. That's what you punished him for."

"You are wrong, Samantha." Morgan said with a shake of her head.

"Am I?" Sam asked in return. "Every one of your kind, Merlin, Orlin, Daniel, Thomas, who's embraced even the smallest figment of their former humanity has been punished or cast out. Why?” Sam looked the other woman in the eye, wanting her to see the emotion behind her words. “Are you afraid of who you use to be? Or are you ashamed of it?"

Morgan didn't reply but she did drop her head.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Sam spat out. "The difference between Thomas and the others is that he wasn't the only one who was punished."

"You and your mother, you weren't ever supposed to know the truth." Morgan said softly as she returned her gaze to Sam. "You weren't supposed to suffer."

"And what?" Sam yelled at the woman. "That's meant to make it alright? You tore apart a family! You stole an innocent child from its mother! No amount of arrogant Ancient reasoning is going to make that ok!"

Sam's anger and hurt rolled off her in waves. She had to move across the room, she had to put space between herself and Morgan. She didn't think she could hurt the woman, but she didn't want to tempt herself to try.

Morgan watched Sam carefully and after a long moment she said, "I admit, taking you away, separating you from your mother, it was meant to punish Thomas. The majority of my kind firmly believes in the inferiority of the lesser beings we left behind. They believe in the survival of the fittest and that only the superior of you, the ones who can reach us on their own, are worthy. They believed Thomas defiled himself by giving in to such human traits as affection, desire, and love. They believe he disgraced who and what we are by choosing a lowly human woman."

"My mother is no lowly human woman." Sam said as she whirled on Morgan. "She's a better being than the lot of you so called higher beings."

"If he had only returned, if he'd left her and you behind, you would have been left with your mother." Morgan continued. "The blame is on him and his actions."

"You’re really going to stand there and continue to place all the blame on Thomas? You arrogant bit…” Sam stopped herself and then demanded, “Where is he now?" She stalked towards Morgan once more, closing the distance between herself and her kidnapper, forcing the woman to one again look into her eyes. "What have you done to him this time? Is Thomas still alive?"

"He lives." Morgan answered with a nod.

"I want to see him." Sam demanded.

Morgan shook her head. "That is impossible. He has been forbidden from taking any form that would allow him to cross into other realms of existence. All of his abilities have been stripped from him."

Sam's fists clenched and her jaw tightened. Then she said, "I'm going to keep trying to stop the Ori. I'm going to keep doing what I can to help the innocent people the Ori are using, because that's who I am, but as far as you and your kind, you can all go to hell right along with them."

"I am sorry for the pain my part in things has caused you." Morgan said as Sam headed for the sealed door.

"You can take your sorry and shove it up your self-righteous ass." Sam replied. "Now open the damn door."

When the doors finally opened, and Sam walked out Daniel rushed to her side. "Sam? What happened? Are you ok?"

"I really hate your sanctimonious friends." Sam told him as she continued to storm away from the holographic chamber, and everyone standing there.

"They're not my friends, Sam." Daniel replied as he walked beside her. Vala and Cam stayed back with Elizabeth despite their worry for their friend. They simply didn’t have the bond with Sam that Daniel had, so they were willing to leave them alone for now. Daniel reached out to grab Sam’s arm, making her stop and face him. "You are. So, talk to me, Sam, please?"

Sam sighed. Every inch of her was tense and the last thing she wanted to do was talk about what just happened, but she knew she needed too so she nodded. She and Daniel headed for the cafeteria and over coffee she told him about her conversation with Morgan.

"I'm sorry Sam." Daniel said when she was finished.

"At least I finally got to confront her." Sam replied with a shrug.

"Do you feel better?" Daniel asked.

Sam thought about it. "A little bit."

"What would make you feel more than a little bit better?" Daniel asked, wanting to help in any way he could.

"Honestly?" Sam replied and then smirked. "Watching my mother kick her ass."

That surprised Daniel for a moment and then he laughed. "I'd pay good money to see that."

The stone Sam had felt in the pit of her soul was now more of a pebble, and she kind of had a feeling she would always carry that around with her. She was able to finally look the figure from her lingering nightmares in the eye, and now Morgan and the Ancients had no hold over her life anymore. It also helped to know that Thomas was alive. She could at least hold on to a little hope of seeing him again, despite what Morgan said about him being forbidden from returning. He'd been forbidden before after all.


	12. A Story the Mind Tells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is Helen is dreaming? Or is she having the cruelest of nightmares?

Something wasn't right. She couldn't put her finger on it but even in her barely awake state Helen could tell something was off. The morning light didn't feel quite right on her skin. The mattress was to firm and the sheets felt off somehow. She felt off somehow. Helen felt a bubble of panic forming in her chest and that only got worse when she opened her eyes. Sitting up she looked around the room and for a moment she felt as if she had no idea where she was. The room felt familiar and yet wrong somehow. The panic and uncertainty she was feeling spiked when she heard the sound of movement out in the hall, and when the doorknob turned Helen's hand went under the pillow beside her but there was nothing there. Why had she done that? What was she expecting to find hidden under the pillow?

With her heart pounding in her chest Helen watched as the bedroom door was pushed open. The pounding skipped an uncertain beat when a familiar figure appeared and smiled warmly at her. She sighed a soft breath of relief as the last tendrils of her unease faded away. She returned the smile as she said, "John."

"Good morning." John responded as he walked into the room.

He was partly dressed for the day in his dress shirt and trousers. Helen couldn't help but think how much she enjoyed looking at him in freshly pressed trousers and a half buttoned crisp white shirt. It was a fleeting thought however because when her gaze fell on the beautiful blue-eyed little girl in his arms she was hit hard by that same odd feeling she'd awoken too. She knew who the girl was but seeing her, seeing her with John, sent a hurricane of unexplainable emotions though her. "Samantha?"

John sat on the edge of the bed beside Helen and handed the little girl over to her mother. "She woke up from a bad dream, so we've been spending the morning together."

"A bad dream?" Helen asked as she wrapped her arms around her daughter.

Sam instantly snuggled as close as she could get while nodding her head.

Helen's heart ached and she wasn't sure it was entirely because she felt bad because her little one had had a nightmare. She looked down at the child in her arms. Her hair was long, dark blonde but starting to lighten, and her eyes were the same shade of blue as her own. Those big blue eyes looked up at her and Helen felt as if her heart would burst. "It's alright my darling. You're alright now."

"John says dreams are just stories my mind tells while it waits for me to wake up." Sam explained as she looked up at her mother. "He says they can't hurt me, just like the stories in my books."

"John's right sweetheart." Helen reassured. "They are just stories and they can't hurt you, no matter how scary they are."

Sam snuggled a little closer, relieved that her mother agreed with what John had told her. Then she pulled away and looked up at her again. "Mummy, do you know what helps the bad feelings go away after a bad dream?"

"No darling, what?" Helen replied with a soft smile on her lips as her fingers gently combed through Sam’s hair. 

"Biscuits." Sam said with a huge smile.

Helen's eyes went a little wide. "You've had biscuits for breakfast?"

"Don't be silly, Mummy." Sam said seriously. "Biscuits aren't for breakfast. Biscuits are to make the sad and frightened go away, but it only works with a kiss on the nose."

She pressed a kiss to Sam's nose, who giggled delightedly, and then looked up at John and smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you, John."

"You don't have to keep thanking me as if I were doing you a favor, Helen." John said firmly and with a slightly scolding edge to his voice. "I want to be her father just as I will be to our child."

It wasn't until John put his hand on her stomach that Helen realized, or remembered, that she was pregnant. She blinked as if startled and then looked back up at John.

"I know you and Samantha were on your own for a very long time." John said as he took her hand. "But you're not on your own anymore. I'm here for both of you."

Helen smiled lovingly at him and leaned close to kiss him. A part of her wanted to believe him so badly she ached, but there was another part of her that knew better. She felt it deep down in the very core of her heart that as much as she loved him it just would never be enough.

"I could call James and ask him to handle things on his own today." John said as he placed his breakfast dishes in the sink an hour later.

Helen shook her head while handing Sam a half slice of toast with marmite on it. "I'll be fine, John."

He looked uncertain but the glare she gave him made him give in. "Alright, if you insist. I took the liberty of having your appointments canceled for today so you can stay home and rest."

"John!" Helen snapped at him.

"Don't John me, Helen." He huffed back at her. "You nearly fainted in your lab yesterday. You're pregnant, Helen. You can't keep working the way you did before you were pregnant. I don't see why you're still working at all."

"We are not having that conversation again, John Druitt." Helen said firmly.

A cottage in the countryside where they would live as man and wife and raise children, that's what John had always wanted. Helen had wanted to stay in London; she'd wanted to continue her work. She wasn't against having children, on the contrary. She'd always felt she could have both, just as her father had. Why should it be any different for her just because she was a woman? She looked over at her daughter, at her beautiful Samantha, and she smiled. Sam looked at her with those big inquisitive eyes and flashed her the biggest smile complete with a smug of dark goo at the corner. Helen put her hand on the swollen stomach and bit her lip. This was almost perfect, almost.

The room suddenly felt warm. Helen felt warm, overly warm, like she had a fever.

"Helen?" John's voice called out. "Helen!"

She didn't feel right. It was hard to tell just why she didn't feel right because Helen was pretty sure she was still somewhat asleep, but even in that strange in-between state of consciousness she knew she felt off somehow. She moaned softly as she shifted in bed and then groaned because the mattress was too lumpy, and the sheet she was tangled in was to stiff and scratchy. It didn't feel like she was in her own bed. She could vaguely hear the songs of morning birds, which mean it was morning, but where was the warmth of the sun on her face? Cracking open one eye Helen looked around. She was in a small bedroom with barely enough space for the full-sized bed, wardrobe, and nightstand it held. Helen sat bolt upright and for a few moments stared around the room blankly. Where was she? There was a small window across from her with an AC unit in it; the walls were kind of drab but covered in picture frames. It was the photographs that helped calm her. Picture frames filled with the smiling faces of her children.

Throwing back the covers Helen slipped her feet into her slippers and then grabbed her robe. Stepping out into the hallway she headed for the door across from her own and opened it quietly so she could pop her head inside. The walls were painted a pale shade of purple and there were fairy and kitten decals all over the walls. To the right of the door was a small single bed; its occupant was six years old, almost seven. Her blonde hair was fanned out over her pillow, one tiny foot was hanging off the side of the bed, and her right arm was wrapped around a plush bulldog named George. The sight took Helen's breath away and there was a tightness in her chest she couldn't explain. Samantha was safe, sound, and sleeping peacefully in her bed, here with her, in her home where she should be. So why did this sense of joy she was feeling hurt so much?

Across from the door was a crib. Helen walked over to it and peered inside at the eighteen-month-old snoring softly and smiled. What she felt when she looked down at Ashley made more sense to Helen. The joy she felt was untainted, but it was shadowed by the guilt Helen felt. Things hadn't worked out with John, to the point that Helen had packed up her children and moved out of Britain all together. Helen knew this was better, for her, for her girls, but that didn't stop her from feeling bad about removing John from their lives, from Ashley's life.

Leaving her daughters' room Helen went to the smallest of the three bedrooms her apartment had and stepped inside to check on its resident. It was supposed to have been a temporary placement, a favor for a colleague, but how could she not have fallen in love with the little brown haired toddler who'd lost his parents in an accident and had no other family to speak of. Then when Sam looked up at her and said, "Henry needs us, Mummy. Can't we please keep him?" It no longer mattered that she was on her own with two small children in a new country. Now she was on her own in a semi new country with three small children and Helen couldn't be happier.

Helen let the children sleep while she called to check on her patients. She'd opened a small practice and had privileges at the university hospital. She'd just hung up with her current intern when the first of her babies woke up. Sam came paddling into the living room rubbing sleep from her eyes with her left fist while clutching George in her right hand. Helen smiled as she pulled the girl close for a cuddle. "Good morning my love."

"Mornin'" Sam replied before rubbing her nose along Helen's collarbone.

"Aww," Helen chuckled as she cuddled her little girl. "Mummy's sleepy little monkey." Holding Samantha in her arms like this, watching the little blonde struggle to fully wake up and looking unbearably adorable doing it, made Helen want to cry. Which was kind of odd wasn't it? Her mind suddenly flooded with thoughts that made no sense. She thought about how agonizing it would be if she'd never had moments like this with Samantha. Then she was flooded with memories. She remembered the weight of Samantha on her chest when she born, and the first terrifying night at home with her newborn. She remembered the first time Samantha said mama, the first time she was brave enough to take a step all on her own. She remembered every moment of Samantha's life so far and in the back of her mind she heard herself reassuring herself that this was real, the memories were real, this moment of holding her daughter in her arms was real.

It was real, wasn't it?

"Mummy?" Sam said as she looked at her mother with concern. "Why are you crying? Do you still feel sick?"

Helen was shocked to realize she was crying. Why was she crying? The concern and worry in Sam's eyes hurt her heart and Helen did her best to smile reassuringly. "Sick? No sweetheart I'm not sick."

"You didn't feel good last night." Sam said as she pressed her hand to Helen's forehead. "You're not warm no more."

Had she had a fever last night? She couldn't recall. Helen smiled reassuringly at her baby girl. "I'm right as rain my darling. I'm not crying because I feel bad. These are happy tears, my love."

"Oh." Sam replied. She titled her head to the side and took her mother in for a few moments before asking, "What made you so happy you're crying?"

"You." Helen said as she tapped Sam's nose with the tip of her finger. "You make me this happy."

That got a beaming smile from Sam.

Helen kissed Sam's forehead and hugged her tight. Then she smiled and said, "Are you excited about going to the zoo?"

The little blonde nodded. "I want to show Ashley and Henry all my favorite animals."

"I think they're going to like that very much." Helen said brightly. "You're a wonderful big sister, Samantha. I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you, Mummy." Sam said with a blush.

Shortly after that Ashley and Henry were awake as well and the next few hours were spent getting them all to eat breakfast, getting them cleaned up and dressed, and then out the door. Sam had used a map from their last visit to plan out their journey through the zoo, marking their route in crayon. It went fairly well at first. Ashley took everything in with the sense of wonder and awe only baby's and young children seemed capable of. Henry did well until they got to the wolf exhibit. He decided they were his favorite animals and felt no need to see anything else, which was hindering Sam's plans. The two began to bicker and Helen decided it was time for lunch and a bit of a rest.

After lunch they went to a new exhibit. "Look Mummy!" Sam said as she tugged Helen closer to the viewing area. "Lemurs!"

Lemurs. Strange, Helen thought. Why did lemurs make her smile the way she just smiled? And why for god's sake did she suddenly feel very sad and alone? She was hardly alone. She was raising three small children, she was never alone, and yet as she looked at the mural on the far wall of lemurs in the wild, she felt this overwhelming sense that something was missing in her life. But her life was perfect, she was happier than she could ever remember being. Well, maybe not perfect, but damn close.

Helen suddenly felt lightheaded and warm. Her skin felt flush like she was suddenly running a temperature.

"Mummy?" Sam called out when she saw her mother. "Mummy!"

Helen groaned. The sun was up; she could feel it on her back. She wasn't ready to get up. She didn't feel like waking up. She felt tired, restless, and uneasy. Maybe if she slept a little longer she could sleep off the odd feeling that something was off, that she was off somehow. But the sun was warm on her back, the birds in the trees were singing her awake, and the growl of a motorboat on the lake was grating on her nerves. Didn't their neighbors know people liked to sleep in the morning? Rolling onto her back Helen forced herself to open her eyes and for a moment she felt a rush of panic like she didn't know where she was.

There were large french doors to her right that opened to a patio that overlooked a cluster of trees and beyond those a beautiful lake. The walls were painted a soft cream color, and the bed she was in was a platform style bed with brightly colored linens and coverings. The room was very bright; it's furnishings warm and simple, a peaceful place to escape to at the end of the day, just as they had wanted. Helen closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As she snuggled back under the covers and into her pillow, she wondered why she'd awoken with such an odd feeling of displacement.

Helen knew she should get up but now that the unease of awaking had worn off, she was warm and content. The sun coming in through the doors felt good on her back, and the sound of the wind through the trees and the water of the nearby lake was soothing. She lingered for several more minutes before finally forcing herself to get up. She stretched before reaching for her robe and wondered why she felt so sore. She couldn't recall doing anything that would make her feel this way. Shrugging it off Helen chalked it up to getting older. Out in the hall she passed by several closed doors, and at least two of them sounded as if there was some type of activity going on behind them. She smiled softly to herself as she headed downstairs and straight for the kitchen.

Standing near the sink filling an electric kettle with water was a slender woman with short dark hair. Helen smiled brightly as she walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist. She kissed the side of her neck and purred into her ear, "Good morning, love."

Charlotte smiled as she leaned back against Helen. "Morning." She replied. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit sluggish to be honest." Helen admitted. "But fine otherwise."

"Good." Charlotte replied as she turned in Helen's arms. "That fever you had yesterday had me worried."

Helen frowned. Fever? What fever? She was about to ask when Charlotte kissed her.

The kiss was brought to an end by the sudden declaration of, "Kid in the room."

The two women pulled away and Helen turned to see who'd spoken. The girl was about eleven. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a sloppy ponytail; her eyes were a bright but muted shade of blue. She had on old jeans with one of the knees worn out, a black t-shirt with a pink skull and cross bones on it, the skull seemed to be wearing a sparkly hair bow, and bright pink sloppily tied converse sneakers. "Good morning, Ashley."

The little girl walked over and wrapped her arms around Helen. With her little face pressed into her mother's stomach she muttered out, "What's good about it?"

Charlotte chuckled. "Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed."

Helen smiled as she hugged her little girl and then rubbed her back for a few moments. She was about to reply to Charlotte's comment but was cut off.

"When doesn't she get up on the wrong side of the bed?"

She was about sixteen. Her blonde hair was long and spilled over her shoulders in gentle waves. Her eyes were blue, a shade or two different than Ashley's, more like Helen's. She was wearing a flowery print skirt that went just to the top of her knees, a pink top, and flats. Helen blinked after staring at the girl for so long her eyes were starting to burn. She knew who the girl was but seeing her brought on that same odd feeling she'd had when she'd first awoken that morning.

"Shut up, Sammie." Ashley said, her voice still muffled by Helen's stomach.

"I'm just stating a fact, Ash." Sam said as she reached for the milk and a glass. "You're a grouch in the morning."

There was a sudden unexplainable ache in Helen's chest that made her way to cry. She was staring at Samantha, afraid to blink because she felt like her daughter would disappear if she took her eyes off her for even a second. Ashley said something to her, but Helen didn't hear it, all she heard was the sound of her heart pounding in her ears. It was Ashley poking her in the stomach that finally got Helen's attention. She blinked several times and then looked down into the familiar gaze of her youngest daughter. "I'm sorry sweetheart what did you say?"

"I said make Sammie stop being mean to me." Ashley said pouting.

Sam rolled her eyes at her sister but then focused her gaze on her mother. "Are you ok, Mom? You kind of zoned out."

Helen smiled as reassuringly as she could manage. "I'm fine honey." She comforted herself by stroking Ashley's hair for a moment and then said, "Must you two start every morning this way?"

Ashley and Sam looked at each other before looking at their mother and replying in unison, "Yes."

Charlotte laughed and then pointed out, "We're missing a part of this little ritual."

"Henry's still in bed." Sam ratted the boy out.

"He's going to be late." Helen said crossly.

"I'll get him." Charlotte said as she headed for the door.

"Are you sure you're ok, Mom?" Sam asked with real concern in her voice. "You're not even dressed yet, that's not like you."

"Are you still feeling crappy?" Ashley asked. She'd abandoned Helen for cereal and orange juice.

Helen didn't understand why seeing her own daughter had shaken her so badly. Had she had a nightmare? Charlotte said she'd had a fever. Perhaps it caused her to dream something that had left her feeling unsettled? A bad dream where something had happened to Samantha? "I'm fine my darlings." The looks she received in reply made her chuckle. "Perhaps I'm a little off this morning, but I promise I'm ok."

"You're not going to be sick this weekend, are you?" Ashley asked around a mouth full of fruit loops. "We're going camping, remember?"

Sam groaned. "Ashley, that's gross. Don't talk with your mouth full."

Ashley took a spoon full of her cereal, chewed it, and then opened her mouth to deliberately show her sister.

"Argh, you're worse than Henry." Sam complained as she picked a grape out of her bowl.

"Samantha." Helen scolded. "Do not throw that at your sister."

Ashley snickered.

"Ashley." Helen continued scolding. "You have manners young lady, use them." Both girls muttered an apology and Helen nodded her approval. Then she said, "Don't worry Ashley. We're still going camping this weekend."

Ashley sighed in relief and relaxed. "Good, cause I have plans."

"Oh?" Helen replied as she joined her daughters at the table now that she had tea. "What kind of plans?"

Ashley shot her mom a huge grin as she said, "I'm gonna hunt Bigfoot."

"There's no such thing as Bigfoot, Ash, don't be stupid." A boy's sleepy voice said.

Henry was right in the middle as far as age. He was thirteen, his brown hair was much to long for Helen's taste, but he seemed to like it shaggy. His pale green eyes were half hidden behind sleep heavy lids. The sight of him as he dropped into his chair at the table made Helen smile.

"I'm not stupid Henry!" Ashley huffed at him. "You are!"

"Anyone looking in from the outside would swear they hated each other." Charlotte teased as she sat beside Helen.

"That's just how siblings are, love." Helen said warmly.

Charlotte chuckled. "Says the only child."

This was her family. Her partner, her children, here with her safe and sound in their cozy little home. Helen savored the sound of her children's voices around the table, the playful bickering, and the laughter. She watched them as if committing the flurry of morning activity to memory. After he finished his breakfast Henry thundered upstairs to get ready for school and then ran out the door with a shouted “see ya later”. While Samantha was collecting her things in her room there was a knock on the door before two teenage girls came walking into the house.

One was overly bubbly, her long curly black hair pulled into pigtails. Pulling a blow pop out of her mouth she beamed a smile as she said, "Mornin’ Docs!"

The other was a little more subdued, an auburn-haired girl with big doe eyes that made Samantha smile in a very particular way. "Good morning Doctor Magnus, Professor Benoit."

Helen smiled at Samantha's friends. "Good morning Janet, Vala."

Sam came down a few moments later and kissed her mother's cheek before leaving with her friends. Helen almost kept her home. Something deep inside didn't want to lose a moment of time with Samantha. Maybe it was just the part of her that was starting to realize Sam wouldn't be a child much longer and wanted to cling to the time they had left before she went off to face the adventures of life away from home and mom.

"Maybe you should cancel your classes and appointments today." Charlotte said as she wrapped her arms around Helen and rested her chin on her shoulder. "What's the point of having an intern if not to use them when you're feeling shitty?"

"I'm not feeling poorly darling. Whatever happened yesterday was a fluke." Helen reassured. "I'm just a bit off kilter this morning. I'll be fine."

Charlotte just shook her head. "Stubborn old woman."

Helen turned so she was face to face with her lover and smirk at her. "Cheeky."

It was while in the shower together that Charlotte noticed the mark at the base of Helen's neck. Four puncture wounds in a diamond shape. Helen couldn't remember anything happening that would leave such a mark. She just wrote it off as an odd clustering of bug bites. Although when she'd looked at it in the mirror something tickled at the back of her mind. The mark almost seemed familiar, but the thought slipped away so quickly she'd scarcely remembered having it.

Helen kept her tiny practice for the sake of her oldest and dearest patients, but she spent most of her time teaching and conducting research at the university. Settling in behind her desk she smiled at the pictures that greeted her. Her children smiled at her from a family vacation forever frozen in time, and in another she and Charlotte smiled back at her from the yard swing in the back garden.

"Doctor Magnus?" A surprised voice called out.

Helen looked up to find her intern staring at her oddly. "Good morning, William. Is there something wrong?"

"Um, no." Will Zimmerman replied, "I'm just surprised to see you. I thought after the dizzy spell you had in the lab yesterday, you'd take a few days off."

Dizzy spell in her lab, a sudden short burst of fever, and the strange mark on the base of her neck. Helen felt like she should understand that these things were linked, that they meant something, but she didn't want too. She was raising her children, all of her children, in a safe, normal environment. She had the kind of loving and supportive relationship she'd always wanted to have with Charlotte.

Helen was happy. She finally had a sense of peace and contentment she hadn't had in far too long. Her life was good.

Helen was dying. She was succumbing to a virus transmitted to her through the bite of an Abnormal. Her life was in danger.

Charlotte didn't understand why the protocol she developed to fight the virus attacking Helen wasn't working in Helen. When she tested it under the microscope the cocktail of drugs she created worked perfectly, it killed the virus with no trouble, but when they gave it to Helen it caused her to spike a fever. The virus would weaken but once the fever broke it reasserted itself in Helen's system, stronger than before. Charlotte was frustrated, she was worried and scared, and she was angry too. She loved Helen; she loved their unconventional atypical relationship. She couldn't bear the thought of losing Helen. And after everything Helen had survived in her long lifetime, it was almost insulting to think that it was a random Abnormal insectoid bite that was doing her in. Letting out a growl of frustration Charlotte picked up one of the empty glass flasks on the cart beside her worktable and threw it across the room.

Will managed to jump out of the way of the sudden shower of broken glass with a small yelp of surprise.

"Oh!" Charlotte said with a gasp. "Will, I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright." Will reassured, "I've had to plaster enough baseball sized holes in the walls of my office and my room to understand."

She gave him a weak but grateful smile before asking, "Any change?"

"No." Will answered honestly. He looked as tired and frustrated as Charlotte. "But I think maybe I have something new." He held out a tablet to show her something he'd found on Magnus' brain scans. The parts of Magus' brain that controlled dreams and emotion were overly active, and the blood test Will had run after discovering this, confirmed certain elevations that supported his theory. "I think," He said uncertainly. "That as long as she's in this dream state the treatment won't be able to work. So, we need to pull her out of her dreams."

"How do we do that?" Charlotte asked.

"We overdose her on a stimulant that forces her awake long enough to give her the most concentrated dose of the vaccine you can make." Will answered.

The uncertainly Charlotte felt about this showed on her face. "Will."

"I know." Will replied. "It's risky, but if we don't take the risk…"

"We'll lose her." Charlotte said with a heavy sigh while collapsing onto her stool.

Will nodded.

"Ok." Charlotte said with a nod of her own. "Ok, let’s do it."

In Helen's dream world she sent Samantha off to the prom with Janet, watched from the front row as she graduated valedictorian of her class, and held back tears as she helped her settle in at Oxford. In the real world, Will jabbed an injector pen full of a high dose powerful stimulant into her chest, and as her body responded with gasping breaths and a dangerously rapid heart rate, Charlotte injected her with the cure vaccine. Helen cried out in anguish but was it because of the physical pain her body was going through or the emotional pain of losing her little girl again.

Helen moaned. She was starting to pull herself out of the darkness of unconsciousness but even though she wasn't quite there yet, she knew where she was. She was in one of the hospital beds in the medical wing of her Sanctuary. The roughness of the sheets, the to clean smell of the pillow, the unnatural burn of the lights against her eyelids, the coolness of the scrubbed air, were all as familiar to her as an old friend.

"Helen?" Charlotte said softly when she heard the moan.

It was a struggle, but Helen managed to open her eyes and turn towards the voice. "Charlotte?" She croaked out, her voice was raspy and her throat sore. "What," She began but it wasn't easy to speak. "What happened?"

Charlotte quickly fetched a glass of water and helped Helen sip it as she explained; "You had a virus that put you into an extended state of REM unconsciousness. You've been comatose, Helen. We thought…" Charlotte's throat sized up. "We almost lost you."

Helen reached for Charlotte's hand and held it. "But you didn't, Charlotte, I'm here, and I'm going to be fine."

The virus took a lot out of Helen. Everyone hovered over her until she yelled at them to back off a little. She almost immediately apologized for it. Once she was strong enough physically, she made her way up to her parapet. It had all been a dream. That's why it had always felt like such a sucker punch whenever she saw Samantha for the first time. She had never known her daughter as a child; she only knew what she looked like from pictures Samantha had shared with her.

Alone on her perch overlooking her true world, Helen grieved yet again for what had been stolen from her, the memories and moments, the experiences, the hardships, the joy, the sadness, her life with Samantha, Samantha's life with her.

He didn't say anything at first. Will simply sat beside Helen, who had her knees drawn up to her chest as she sobbed. After a moment he gave in to his impulses and pulled her into his arms. He simply held her as she cried. It wasn't until she pulled away from him that he asked, "What did you dream about?" She tensed up. He knew how much she hated talking about stuff like this. "Please tell me you weren't Mrs. Druitt again?"

That made her chuckle as she wiped away the tears that had soaked her face. "Yes, actually for a short time I was. I think it says a lot that even in dreams meant to be my perfect life he and I just don't work."

Will didn't push. He knew better than to push. Pushing Magnus just made her fight against him that much harder. She was the head of this odd little family of theirs and it was her job to take care of all of them, and it should never be the other way around. It was bullshit but that was Magnus. He knew by watching her, watching her body language, when to say, "Tell me about your dream, Magnus."

Helen took a shuddering breath and said, "I got to raise Samantha and now I've lost her all over again."

That would always be a wound that never completely healed. No matter how close Helen and Sam were, how much they loved each other now, how much they needed each other, and would always be there for each other, the loss of their past together would always been a scar on their hearts. "I'm sorry, Magnus."

"It was just a dream, Will." Helen said, trying to brush it off.

"Magnus," Will said softly as she began to stand.

Helen smiled down at him and shook her head to let him know not to say anything more. "I'll be fine, Will. Thank you."

Will stood; he nodded his acknowledgement that she was thanking him for being there for her. He would always be there for her just like she'd always be there for him. That's what families did, and this was a family, even if they weren't perfect.


	13. Through the Looking Glass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helen finally agrees to go through the Stargate with Sam

After years of asking, Helen finally agreed to go through the Stargate. Sam was so excited about getting to share this part of her life with her mother that even Vala found her exhausting. Sam had been in space when Helen had gotten sick. After being off world for more than a few days Sam always called her mother to let Helen know she was home safe and sound, but this time Sam hadn't had the chance to call Helen. She'd barely had time to get out of her jumpsuit when her phone rang. There had been something in Helen's voice that set off Sam's instincts, but Helen wouldn't say more than she'd had a nasty run in with an abnormal virus. Sam had called Ashley afterwards to get more information, but her sister could only tell her that Helen had dreamed something that she refused to talk about. Sam wondered if maybe the dream had something to do with her.

After her run in with Morgan, Sam had wanted nothing more than to be near Helen, she'd wondered if Helen had felt the same why following her illness, so Sam had asked yet again if Helen wanted to experience going off world. It would give them a chance to be together and it would give Helen a better understanding of what Sam did. Much to Sam’s surprise and delight Helen had agreed.

Sam hadn't stopped smiling since meeting Helen at the mouth of the Mountain. She'd wanted this trip to be more than taking Helen on a tour of one of the base sites they had all over the galaxy, and in the end the idea had come from Janet. "It's a medical mission of sorts." Sam explained as she led Helen through the underground complex. "We're going to a planet called Hak'tyl III so Janet can check on the female Jaffa there who are taking Tretonin."

"Tretonin is the drug used to replace the effects of the goa'uld larva?" Helen asked as she watched her daughter and smiled at her excitement.

"Yeap." Sam said with a huge grin.

"Why are only the females taking Tretonin?" Helen asked.

They had arrived in the conference room for a per mission briefing. Daniel smiled and was about to answer Helen's question, telling her that males took it as well, Teal’c and Bra’tac being the first, but Carmen jumped in and said, "They're Jaffa Amazons!"

"Cam's trying to be funny, I think,” Daniel eyed the other man for a moment and then returning his attention to Helen. “But he's sort of right." Daniel then explained. "This particular band of Jaffa are dominantly female and are socially matriarchal. They have in fact adapted a culture and social structure very similar to the Amazons from Greek mythology. Though they've sent a delegation to the Jaffa home world to sit on the Jaffa High Counsel, Ishta…"

"Jaffa Xena." Cam cut in again.

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Ishta is their leader and remains on their Hak'tyl III with her people."

"If Ishta is Xena does that make Teal'c Gabrielle?" Vala asked curiously, her head slightly tilted as she tried to work it out in her head.

"Actually, it would be the other way around." Janet told her raven-haired friend. "Gabrielle was the Amazon queen, Xena wasn't actually an Amazon, just an ally."

Everyone just looked at the two women for a moment causing Janet to blush a little before she picked up the briefing. "There are several adolescents we'll be starting on Tretonin, but for the most part we're just checking to make sure those already on it are on the right dosage."

"Do you do this for all the Jaffa inhabited worlds?" Helen asked. "It sounds like a monumental task."

Sam shook her head. Her voice held a lot of pride as she said, "Janet worked with the Tok'ra to teach the Jaffa how to regulate the drug. We have personal ties to Ishta and her people. They trust us, and they prefer working with Janet when it comes to the Tertonin because she's the one who first treated them, they trust her."

"I've taken other SG teams with me in the past." Janet explained. "But Ishta personally requested that SG1, and Sam in particular, come with me this time."

"Any idea why that is?" Landry asked from the head of the table.

"Not really Sir." Janet replied.

After they finished the briefing Sam led her mother down to the locker room so they could change. Sam was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet as she handed Helen a set of black BDUs. "I'm really glad you finally agreed to do this, Mom."

"I can see that." Helen said with a soft chuckle. "I'm not sure how you haven't managed to drag me by the hand to the Stargate with a bright faced, "Mummy, look what I can do!""

Sam blushed a little.

Helen smiled at the blush and brushed the back of her fingers along Sam's jawbone and chin. "I'm glad I finally agreed as well, my darling. I know how very important this part of your work is to you and I'm honored you want to share it with me."

The teams gathered in the Gate room and watched as the ancient alien device spun as it dialed. Sam smiled and teased her mother about remembering the invention of rotary telephones, which got her called a cheeky monkey. Once the seventh chevron was locked and the wormhole established Cam, Vala and Daniel walked into the shimmering pool of energy first, followed by Janet and two of her field nurses. Sam and Helen were last.

"Ready?" Sam asked as she watched her mother taking in the event horizon.

Helen reached out and ghosted the tips of her fingers along the surface of the wormhole. It tingled. Looking over at her daughter she smiled and gave a nod. "Ready."

When they stepped out on the other side Helen stumbled a little while Sam stepped out with the grace that came with a decade of experience. It was the oddest sensation Helen had ever felt. Her whole body tingled and when she found herself whole once more on the other side, she couldn't help but shudder a little bit.

"Mom?" Sam called out with a bit of concern. "Are you ok?"

Helen smiled. "I'm fine, Samantha. It just felt a bit odd is all."

Sam relaxed and returned her mother's smile. "You get use to the prickly feeling after a while."

The settlement was a bit of a walk from the Stargate, but Helen didn't mind. She was taking in her surroundings and the incredible realization that she was on an alien planet. Never in all her decades of life had Helen ever imagined she'd set foot on another planet, let alone a planet outside the Sol system, and yet here she was on an alien planet in an alien solar system because her child figured out how to power and program alien technology that made instantaneous intergalactic travel possible.

"Kind of surreal isn't it?" Janet asked as she walked beside her mother-in-law.

"Very much so." Helen replied with a soft smile.

Janet gave a nod of understanding. She could still remember, she would always remember, what it felt like the first time she went off world. "It can get a little overwhelming when you realize Earth isn't as unique as we thought, and yet the people of Earth couldn't be more one of kind."

Helen shifted her gaze from the petite doctor beside her to her daughter who led their little group at the front. There were human aliens out here on these distant planets, brought out here, according to Sam, by the goa'uld. As they got closer and closer to the settlement Helen wondered if there were Abnormals out here as well. This made her wonder if perhaps someday their professional lives could cross paths. Perhaps someday there would be an off-world Sanctuary.

When they arrived at the settlement they were greeted with warm welcome. The adults nodded respectfully as they passed, children called out to Janet by name. Nesa came over to say hello and to hug Daniel. Sam smiled as she greeted the women she'd met on their first visit to the first Hak'tyl, clasping Neith's forearm and smiling curiously at the look on Kar'yn's face. Sam beamed with pride as she introduced Helen to those they encountered, and Helen took pride in the way her Samantha was respected here.

"Welcome friends!" Bra'tac called out as he approached.

Sam was surprised to see the old man. Bra'tac didn't often get away from the Jaffa home world and his work on the Counsel these days. "Master Bra'tac, it's good to see you."

"It is good to see you as well Colonel Carter." Bra'tac replied as he took her hand in greeting while bowing his head to show her the respect she had earned. "It is good to see all of you." He looked at everyone and smiled but his gaze lingered on Helen.

Sam saw the way the old Jaffa was looking between her and Helen and laughed. "Master Bra'tac, may I introduce Doctor Helen Magnus, my mother."

Bra'tac's old eyes lit up as he took Helen in with a whole new type of gaze. "You are the mother of Colonel Carter?"

"I am." Helen said proudly.

The Jaffa master held out his hand in the Earth custom he had learned from Hammond of Texas. "Then it is indeed a great honor to meet you." He bowed his head in respect and then he smiled at her before turning back to the others. "Come, Teal'c and Ishta await."

Normally when they arrived on a planet being caught by surprise wasn't a good thing. Walking into the tent where Teal'c and Ishta were waiting they were completely caught by surprise, only this time the shock wasn't a bad one. When Ishta turned to face them the only thing more noticeable than the bright smile on her face was the obvious swell of her belly.

"Well clearly Janet didn't make Teal'c sit through those boring Air Force health videos." Vala commented while everyone else stared in shock and awe.

"Teal'c, ol' buddy, ol' pal, you've been keeping a secret from us." Cam teased.

"I did not know myself until my arrival here." Teal'c replied. "I would have sent word, but I wanted to see the looks on your faces."

Daniel laughed. "Wish we could have seen the look on yours."

Sam blinked and then threw protocol out the window. She went over to friend and hugged him. "Congratulations you two!"

Several minutes were spent congratulating Teal'c and Ishta before Sam remembered to introduce Ishta to her mother. The blonde Jaffa warrior woman smiled as she said, "You are most welcome here Doctor Magnus."

"Ishta," Janet spoke up. "Doctor Magnus is going to help me with some of the checkups if that's alright with you."

Ishta nodded her approval. "I trust your judgment Doctor Fraiser." She smiled warmly and then added, "But before we all set off to our duties I wish to make a personal request of Colonel Carter."

Helen watched as Ishta and Teal'c ask Samantha to be what Daniel explained was sort of but not quite like godmother to their child. She was amused by the genuine surprise written all over Sam's face, and wondered why Sam always seems so taken aback by how much she meant to the people in her life. The honest sense of humility was another trait Samantha shared with her grandmother.

"I would be honored." Sam finally responded, her voice holding just a slight quiver that only those who knew her best could detect. Helen heard it, and so did Janet, and it made them both smile.

When the friends finally ended their celebration, Helen went off with Janet and the medical team, Daniel and Vala headed into the settlement, and Sam and Cameron remained to talk about the current standing of things with Bra’tac, Teal’c, and Ishta. When they broke for the evening Janet and Kar'yn showed Helen around a bit while they waited on the leaders to finish their meetings. They paused in the tour to watch some of the women training. Helen watched carefully while Kar'yn explained things to her. When she felt like she got the general idea she nodded toward the practice ring and wooden practice weapons and asked, "May I?"

Kar'yn was a little surprised by the request and looked to Janet who gave a slight nod and a knowing smirk. The young Jaffa nodded. "Of course, Doctor Magnus."

Helen stripped down to the black t-shirt she was wearing and stepped into the sandy ring. She accepted the staff like weapon and tested its weight, twirling it a bit, getting a feel for it. Then she nodded that she was ready. It took a few goes before she got the hang of it. The women watching were impressed that even after taking a couple of hard blows she refused to quit.

When Sam and the others finally walked over Helen was holding her own and Sam smiled as she watched.

Bra'tac looked surprised and impressed. "Your mother is also a warrior, Colonel Carter?"

"She is." Sam said with a nod.

Bra'tac hummed his approval. "Intelligent, skilled in combat, and beautiful."

Sam turned her head sharply to look at Bra'tac just in time to see him walk off towards her mother. "What did he mean by beautiful?"

Janet laughed. "I think Bar'tac is rather taken with Helen."

"What?" Sam replied as she looked at her wife. "But she's my mom!"

That just made Janet laugh harder.

"It's not funny, Janet!" Sam huffed.

"You seem pretty surprised." Janet said while getting her laughter under control.

"I am." Sam admitted. "Though maybe I shouldn't be. I mean have you ever seen the way he leers at Daniel? You should have seen the smile on his face when the last time Daniel descended."

"Well, the Jaffa do seem to be very Spartan like." Janet said after a moment of thought. She would have said more but Helen walking off with Bra'tac distracted Sam. Janet watched as her wife followed after them like a duckling hurrying to catch up with its mother, and chuckled. She wondered if Sam was going to tell Bra'tac to back off the way she had Vala.

It didn't help any that Helen thought Bra'tac was charming. She also kind of liked the fact that she was actually talking to someone her own age, well, actually she was about fifteen years older than him, but it was still a welcome change to talk to someone who understood the kind of things a life span like that came with. Not that she told him about her age. That wasn't information she gave out lightly and Sam had insisted that it remain a secret as well. Her daughter was afraid one of her enemies would discover Helen's abnormality and it would make her a target.

During the evening meal Helen teased Sam about her reaction to Bra'tac's flirting. Sam's pout was adorable, even more so with her wearing battle gear, and Helen just couldn't help herself. At the end of the meal Ishta informed her people that she had chosen Sam to fulfill the special role in her child's life. Most of the women were thrilled but there was one that didn't agree with their leader's choice. Helen couldn't help but notice that the marking on her forehead was different than the majority of the women there. Sam had explained that the tattoos were the symbols of the goa'uld they served, and Helen wondered which one this one had once called god. She also wondered if her appearing to be an outsider was why she was giving voice to her disagreement with Ishta's choice.

"She isn't one of us!" A dark-haired woman shouted. "She's not even Jaffa! She's a Tau'ri!"

The way the woman said Tau'ri was meant as an insult.

"Rakia." Ishta all but hissed the woman's name. She stood and glared down the long table at the woman as she said, "This Tau'ri made the offer that gave us the Tretonin that freed us from our dependence on the goa'uld symbioses which made us slaves to their whims. This Tau'ri found this planet for us, she gave us a safe place to call home, to raise our children, to live free. This Tau'ri has fought side by side with our brothers and sisters against our oppressors at great risk to her own life. She defeated the Replicators over Dakara and in doing so helped us bring down the false gods." She stood straight and proud as she ended with, "Teal'c of Chulak calls this Tau'ri sister and so do I."

Sam was touched and blushing from Ishta's proclamation and Teal'c's firm. "Indeed."

Rakia wasn't backing down. Now she too was on her feet. "She does not know our ways! You would be a fool to entrust your child's wellbeing to an outsider!"

Sam listened as Rakia and Ishta argued. She was really starting to feel uncomfortable and more than a little annoyed. It was the annoyance that fueled her response when Rakia challenged her to a fight, demanding that Sam prove she was worthy of a place in the life of a Jaffa child. This wasn't just a Jaffa child this was one of her best friend's child, and she'd been honored and deeply touched by Teal'c's gesture. There was no way she was going to let him down, so before Ishta could refuse Rakia's challenge Sam was on her feet. "I accept."

"Sam." Janet said in surprise.

Helen frowned. "Samantha what are you doing?"

"She is defending her honor." Bra'tac replied before Sam could say anything. He was smiling with great pride at Sam.

The next morning everyone gathered around to form a ring around the two combatants. The night before had been filled with everyone from Janet and Helen, to Cam and Daniel asking if this was a good idea. Vala had gone around the settlement taking bets. Teal'c came to tell Sam she didn't have to do this, but she insisted she did, and he rewarded her with a rare smile. "Ishta and I have chosen wisely for our child."

Sam and Rakia were given wooden staffs. The fight would last until one yielded to the other or when someone was unconscious, which ever came first. When the fight began it was clear right from the start that no one was holding back. Rakia came at Sam with everything she had, putting Sam on the defensive right out of the gate. If that's how Rakia wanted to play this Sam was more than happy to give back just as hard. Neither woman was coming out of this unscathed.

It took a lot for Helen to just stand there and watch knowing that Rakia was out to actually hurt her Samantha. After a particularly hard blow to the chest that sent Sam crashing into the ground Helen jerked forward as if to go to her daughter but a large, strong hand grabbed hold of her before she could move.

"You must not interfere." Bra'tac told her firmly.

If looks could kill, Bra'tac would have survived the Jaffa Rebellion only to be cut down by the glare of a protective mother.

Helen's concern was overshadowed slightly when Rakia's arrogance and insulting trash talk got out of hand. The next time Sam ended up on her back, rather than surging forward to check on Sam's wellbeing Helen called out, "Samantha, get up and fight!"

Sam was a little startled by her mother's shouted command, but she nodded with a slow smirk appearing on her lips. Not long after that bit of encouragement Sam had Rakia in a chokehold, and moments later the other woman was out cold. Sam lowered her to the ground and then stepped back panting, sweaty, and bleeding. The people crowded around the ring cheered, a few grumbled. Vala collected her winnings. Teal'c clasped Sam's arm in a warrior's handshake while slapping her proudly on the back. He spent the rest of the day strutting around like a proud peacock while Sam got patched up and fussed at by Janet.

"Do many of your missions end up like this?" Helen asked while watching Janet apply a butterfly bandage to the cut above Sam's left eye.

Sam chuckled. "With me bleeding? Not as many as you'd think."

"And yet this wasn't your first one-on-one fight to the death." Janet pointed out.

"This wasn't a fight to the death." Sam huffed.

"Well," Janet said as she finished with the bandage. "Whatever kind of fight it was you managed not only to prove your worth, as well as ours as a species, but you managed to help Helen impress Bra'tack even more."

Sam and Helen made identical curious faces while Sam said, "What does that mean?"

"Apparently Helen's genetics would make for formable Jaffa offspring." Janet told them. "He's never had children of his own, you know."

Sam's eyes were huge and then she huffed. "Well my mom isn't having them for him!"

The way Sam said my mom made Janet giggle and Helen smile. Then she decided to tease Sam. "You know darling I'm still physically capable of having children."

"You are?" Sam responded with surprise.

Helen nodded. "Though chronologically speaking you would think it impossible, physically my body is still reproductively active."

"Ok." Sam replied. "Good to know, but still, no little Jaffa babies for you. You'll just have to curb any baby urges with Henry's baby, Grandma."

Helen crinkled her nose. "Cheeky!"

Most didn't know this about Helen, but she was very sentimental. With a life as long as hers sometimes she needed a little trigger to recall all the memories, so she kept her mementoes down in the catacombs beneath her home. In a very special trunk, she placed the black BDUs Sam had given her to wear on their off world adventure. Those few days spent with Sam on a far-off planet would always be some of Helen's most cherished memories. Being near Sam had helped her shake off a little more of the residual effects of her dream. In a moment alone Sam had asked Helen about the dream, but Helen wasn't ready to share it with her yet. She promised that someday she would. She just didn't see a point in burdening Sam with the ‘what could have beens’, not when she seemed to have finally gotten past the resentment of what she'd lost out on.

The trip was just what Helen had needed and to be honest she wouldn't mind going on another mission with Sam. There was so much out there to learn and experience, new knowledge, new science, and discovery. No wonder Samantha was so happy at the SGC, she was a Magnus after all.


	14. Of Gods and Magnuses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of Sam's worse nightmares nearly comes true

The first thing Janet Fraiser did when she arrived at the Mountain was head to Sam's lab to give her wife a piece of her mind. Sam had promised not to work later than seven the night before, but not only had seven o'clock come and go, the whole night had come and gone. Janet had tried calling Sam’s lab, but didn’t get an answer. She didn’t think too much of it, Sam was working on a big project and often got caught up in it, especially when she got to play with the auto-asset her mother had given her. She knew Sam wasn’t off world, and the base was secure, she’d have gotten a notification if anything was wrong. Stepping into Sam’s lab, Janet had a sharp reprisal on the tip of her tongue, but it slipped away when she found the room empty. Sam wasn't in her lab or the auto-assist lab. She wasn't in the canteen, the locker room, or their on-base quarters. Vala was sound asleep snoring peaceful in her bed and Teal'c was halfway through his morning exercise routine so Janet knew SG1 wasn't unexpectedly off world. She checked the infirmary and her office to see if Sam was waiting there with some sweet gesture of apology and that dopey grin Janet loved so much but she wasn't there either. Janet was starting to worry.

It only got worse when she tracked down the airmen on guard duty last night and was told that Sam left the base at nineteen hundred hours on the dot. That's when the painful knot in her stomach began to form. Something wasn't right. Janet just knew it. Stepping up to the open door of General Landry's office she tapped on it and waited for her commanding officer to look up and acknowledge her presence. He was writing something in a file so it took a moment and Janet could feel her impatience itching under her skin.

Finally, Landry looked up and smiled. "Good morning Doctor Fraiser. What can I do for you?"

"Have you seen Colonel Carter, Sir?" Janet asked as she walked into the room.

"Not since last night, Doctor." Landry replied. "Why?"

It was only years of military training and the practiced patience of raising a teenager that kept Janet from biting her lip worriedly. "She didn't come home last night, Sir. I thought she must have gotten caught up in preparing for the Asgard arrival, but she's nowhere to be found on base. Airman Phillips said she left when she was supposed to, but she never made it home, Sir. She isn't answering her phone, and that's not like Sam."

Landry had gotten to know Sam pretty well since taking command and before that he'd known of her from all of George's bragging. He knew Sam Carter wouldn't take off without telling someone, especially her wife. That's why he didn't even hesitate to pick up the phone and order a search of the surrounding area. He was just placing the handset back in the cradle when an SF came into the room.

"Apologies for the interruption General, Doctor." The young man said as he came to attention. "But we have a problem. We've just apprehended three men who walked up to the entrance demanding to see Colonel Carter, or and this is word for word what he said, "The paramour of the genius off-spring, you know, the little doctor one.""

Janet knew instantly who that was. "Nikola? What on earth is Nikola doing here?" She looked confused for a moment before asking, "You said three men?"

Janet described Will and Henry to the SF and he nodded. "Yes, Ma'am, that sounds like them. Zimmerman and Foss were the names they gave me. The weird one refused to give his real name. He's using Nicola Tesla as an alias."

"He's not actually." Janet replied. "That is his name."

"Doctor?" Landry questioned, one bushy eyebrow inching towards his hairline. "You know these men?"

Janet nodded. "So do you, Sir. You met Will Zimmerman when Samantha Magnus was here. Henry Foss is kind of Sam's brother. They both work for Sam's mother."

"And this Nikola Tesla?" Landry asked.

"An old friend of Helen's." Janet explained and then frowned deeply. "Nikola's impulsive and he's been trying to get access to the SGC for ages. Sam keeps refusing him, but for Will and Henry to just show up here rather than call? Sir, there must be something wrong."

Landry took a moment to think and then looked at the SF and ordered, "Bring them to the conference room."

"Will and Henry have seen the Stargate, Sir." Janet said as the SF left. "But Nikola hasn’t, and I don't think he should. Sam's trust in him only goes so far."

Picking up the phone again Landry ordered the blast doors sealed. By the time the three men were escorted in by SFs Janet and Landry had moved into the adjoining conference room. As soon as they saw her they went to speak but Landry cut in before they could. "Gentlemen, I'm General Hank Landry. What the hell are you doing on my base?"

"General, I apologize for any breach of protocol but…" Will began but was cut off.

"The Doc and Ashley were abducted by aliens!" Henry told them.

Janet and Landry shared a look before turning back to the guys from Helen's Sanctuary. "Alright," Landry said firmly. "Start from the beginning."

"It's a long story.” Will said with a sigh. “The important part is that Helen and Ashley were taken right in front of our eyes." 

"Using alien technology." Nikola added.

"How can you be sure it was alien?" Janet asked.

Nikola looked insulted.

Henry replied, "There were these ring things, five maybe six of them, they dropped down out of nowhere around the Doc and Ash. There was this bright light and then the rings went back up into nowhere and they were gone. It happened really fast, but I managed to get a good enough look to know they looked kinda like Sammie's Stargate."

Janet looked sharply at Landry. "Sir."

"I’ll call in the SG1." Landry said with a nod as he went to phone on the wall to call for Sam’s team.

She knew the searing ache she felt all too well. Getting zapped by a zat'nik'tel left an unforgettable feeling that Sam described as an internal sunburn. The fact that Sam was feeling this sunburn under her skin and throughout her muscles meant of course that a zat gun had hit her recently. The slow climb out of unconsciousness also gave Sam a clue. It took a few moments while coming around for her to remember what happened.

Sam had been driving home, the road coming from the Mountain deserted since shift changes had already happened for the night. She'd been trying to clear her head, to leave work back at the base, but she'd been finding it hard. The Asgard were coming to upgrade one of their ships and to share more of their knowledge. Sam had felt the same kind of excitement she'd felt the night before the first day of school only one hundred times more so. She'd been wondering what goodies awaited her when she caught sight of the silhouette in her headlights and slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting the figure in the middle of the road.

Rakia stood there wearing what looked like Jaffa armor. Sam had stopped and gotten out of the car. She remembered asking what the hell Rakia was doing there, what was going on, and the smile that came across Rakia's face. She remembered Rakia saying something about a queen, her queen, and then Sam felt the searing pain of being hit by a zat blast.

Sam moaned as she tried moving her arms, but her hands were bound in front of her. The restraints felt familiar. The manacles used by Jaffa on behalf of their goa'uld masters. Sam swore in her head as she assessed the rest of her situation. She was lying flat on her back on a hard cold surface. Stone? No. Metal. She felt the gentle vibrations in the floor. She listened to the soft hum and whispered whirs of technology. She knew the tangy smell of naquadah as well as she knew the smell of Janet's shampoo, she knew the cold sterilized nothingness of scrubbed air that meant there was a life support system in place, and she knew the smell of… Wait was that lily of the valley and sandalwood? No, that didn't seem right. Every other sense was telling Sam she was on a goa'uld ship. That perfume was telling her she wasn't alone, but she didn't want to believe it. No, no she wasn't here. Sam was imagining it because she was in a bad spot at the moment. Sam was not seriously smelling…

"Samantha? Samantha can you hear me? Are you alright?"

Her mother's perfume. Forcing her eyes open Sam's heart sank. She was in fact on a goa'uld ship, and she was in fact not alone. "Mom?"

Helen looked down at her eldest daughter as relief washed over her. She did her best to help Sam into a sitting position with her own bound hands and once again began eyeing her over for injuries. "Are you alright, Samantha?"

"Yes." Sam replied. "I think so. Not my first zat blast."

"Great, you're ok, now want to tell us where the hell we are?" Ashley asked from where she sat with her back up against a gaudy gold wall.

"Ashley?" This was one of Sam's worse nightmares. As much as she wanted to share the wonders of the galaxy with her family, she was also as adamant about shielding them from the evil the galaxy held. "No." She said softly as she shook her head. "No, no, no, no, you two can't be here."

"Where is here?" Ashley repeated.

Sam looked around again as she drew her knees up to her chest. "The cargo hold of tel'tak." She told her sister. "It's a goa'uld ship, small transport which makes sense. Anything bigger would have been detected, even cloaked."

"I thought you guys defeated the goa'uld?" Ashley replied. "You've moved on to the evil version of your bio-dad."

"We've mostly defeated them. There's Ba'al and a few of his remaining clones and a handful of less than minor ones that the Tok'ra and Jaffa haven't been able to capture yet." Sam closed her eyes and rubbed her temples as best she could. She had to get her family out of this. There was no way Sam would allow the goa'uld to hurt them or worse yet to take them as hosts, especially her mother. Frightened but determined blue eyes looked up to meet Helen’s for a moment before Sam asked, "How did you two end up here?"

"We'd just finished tracking down an abnormal in Texas." Helen explained. "Henry and Will were loading it into a truck. Nikola was complaining about being drug along. Ashley and I stepped away to discuss something and suddenly these ring things descended, encircling us."

"Next thing we know we're here with men wearing armor and pointing weapons at us." Ashley added in.

"They shot us with one of those handheld energy weapons you use." Helen continued. "When we came to, we were shackled, and you were lying unconscious on the floor." She paused for a moment and then asked, "How did you end up here?"

"Rakia." Sam growled. She explained how Rakia had ambushed her. When she was finished, she asked, "The Jaffa who greeted you, did you happen to notice the marking on their foreheads?"

Helen nodded. "It's the same as Rakia's."

"Well they're not Ba'al's Jaffa, then." Sam replied. "Or at least they weren't originally. He's incorporated some of the remaining goa'uld loyal Jaffa into his rank and file."

"Why would this Ball or any other goa'uld want us?" Ashley asked.

"I'm not sure." Sam said honestly. "It could be anything from the fact that we decimated their empire to me punching Ba'al in the face once. But that's why they would want me, I have no idea why they'd want the two of you."

There was a loud clank and the door across the room from them began to slide open. "Well, whatever they want with us." Helen said as the three women got to their feet. "I think we're about to find out what it is."

Two large Jaffa walked in aiming staff weapons at them. Instinctively Helen moved to shield her daughters, but Sam stopped her, pushing Helen and Ashley behind her. This was Sam's world, and she would protect her mother and sister from it at all costs. When Rakia stepped in Sam took a step forward as if to lunge at her but one of the Jaffa opened his staff weapon and she stopped. "What the hell is going on?"

"You'll find out soon enough, Colonel Carter." Rakia replied. She looked at the three women and said, "Our Queen only wanted Carter and her mother. Kill the other one."

Helen stepped in front of Ashley and Sam in front of Helen. "Lay one hand on my sister and when I kill you it's going to hurt."

Rakia looked at the Jaffa to her left. "I said kill the extra one."

The Jaffa pointed his weapon while the other went to move Sam and Helen aside. Both women struggled and then a loud shout from outside the cargo hold stopped both Jaffa in their tracks. "Jaffa Kree!"

A tall, muscular, tanned skinned Jaffa appeared in the doorway. His armor was more detailed and the tattoo on his forehead gold. The First Prime ordered all three women taken to a cell. Rakia argued but he silenced her with a bark of, "Kree! Do not dare to give me orders, woman!"

As they were ushered out of the cargo hold at staff point Sam heard Rakia mutter something about orders and becoming First Prime. It didn't really help when it came to figuring out what was going on, but it was something she'd file away for later. They were escorted off the tel'tak and onto a ha'tak but it was too small to be Ba'al's. Even his clones wouldn't be caught dead on such a small ship. That was both comforting and alarming. Ba'al was a sadistic bastard, but at least she knew him. This goa'uld was a complete unknown.

"According to these satellite images there was a cloaked tel'tak in orbit above the planet for a short time." Cam reported. "At the exact time in which both abductions took place."

"So, the Doc, Ashley, and Sammie were abducted by aliens?" Henry asked, his eyes a bit wide from the realization.

Landry, SG1, and their Sanctuary guests were gathered around the conference table sharing what information they were able to gather in the hours since Sam, her mother, and her sister went missing. They'd found Sam's car abandon, hidden off road and out of sight, which is why no one had seen it on their way into the Mountain that morning.

"If they're traveling by ship, they can't be far, can they?" Will asked.

"While tel'tak's are smaller ships, meant for transport, they still have sub-light engines and a hyperdrive. It is possible that they’re still in our system, though. If they had used the hyperdrive close to Earth we’d have detected it. But even if they’re just using sub-light engines, well, they’re not anywhere near Earth at this point.” Janet explained to Helen’s people while Cam and Landy stared at her, surprised a bit by the fact that she knew that.

Landry blinked and then nodded. "The Odyssey has been ordered to search the system. If there is a goa'uld ship out there, they'll find it."

"We must be open to the possibility that the tel'tak returned to a larger, faster ship." Teal'c pointed out. "In which case they could be far from the Sol system."

"It would help if we knew who they are." Daniel said. "Has anyone gotten back to us yet?"

Landry shook his head. "Nothing from the Tok'ra or Jaffa."

"I understand why some desperate goa'uld would want Sam." Vala said from her seat beside Daniel. "She's been desired as a host for years by countless number of them, especially the males who want to make her their queen, but why take Helen and Ashley?"

"Their charming personalities and good looks?" Henry said while Will and Janet exchanged a look that said they were wondering if maybe it was something deeper than that.

When Daniel and Teal'c shared the same look with the others Landry finally spoke up. "I've known for a while now that when it comes to Colonel Carter's mother there's something that some of you are aware of that the rest of us aren't privy too. Now, I understand the need for secrets, I command one of the biggest secrets the world has ever not known. But I think in this case, I can't keep ignoring that some of you know something we all need to know." Silence and more looks. Landry was getting angry. "Lt. Colonel Fraiser do I need to make it an order?"

Janet couldn't refuse an order but the look in her eyes said she didn't want to betray Helen's trust, so it was Nikola who spoke up for her so Janet wouldn’t have to. "Helen has a unique attribute to her physiology that these aliens might find of interest."

"What kind of unique attribute?" Landry asked, his gaze cutting from his officer to their guest.

"She's immortal." Nikola answered as casual as if he were telling them she’s English.

"Excuse me?" Landry replied with a look that said he didn't believe Nikola and that he was that much closer to angry yelling.

"As far as we know she's immortal." Will continued. "Magnus ages at an extremely slow rate."

"How slow?" Vala asked, her inquisitive gaze darting between the SG1 vets with a touch of hurt that she hadn’t been let in on the secret. 

"The Doc was born in 1850." Henry told them.

Landry, Cam and Vala all had different degrees of disbelief playing over the faces. It was Cam who asked, "How the hell is that even possible?"

The next several minutes were spent listening to Nikola explaining the source blood and their college experiments. Cam nearly jumped out of his chair when Nikola told them he was a vampire. Janet put her hand on his arm to calm him. "It's alright Colonel Mitchell. Unless you're a bottle of old expensive wine Nikola's no threat to you."

"You knew all of this?" Cam asked her, eyes wide, heart rate visible in the throbbing vein in his neck.

Janet nodded her confirmation before saying, "Since Sam and Helen were reunited."

"And the rest of you?" Landry asked, his gaze staring down each original member of SG1. 

"Shortly after that." Daniel answered. “When Sam returned, Doctor Magnus came with her, and they explained certain things they felt some of us needed to know.” 

"Other than Daniel, Teal'c, and myself,” Janet continues. “Only Generals O'Neill and Hammond know. No one else outside of Helen's own private circle is aware of any of this. Sam was adamant about keeping the number of people who knew her mother’s secret as low as possible.” She looked at Vala, giving her a warm smile, and then at Cam and Landy. “Believe me, this has nothing to do with Sam's trust in any of you. Her biggest fear was someone finding out and Helen being targeted as a host. She was just trying to protect her mother and sister by keeping this such a close secret. Plus, she strongly feels that it isn’t her secret to tell.”

Janet’s heart was breaking as she spoke. If a goa'uld really did have them, had Helen and Ashley, this was Sam's nightmare come to life.

"A host that didn't need to use a sarcophagus to continue its life." Vala said with a frightened look.

"Exactly." Janet said softly. "Not to mention a host with Helen's knowledge, experience, and resources? We would be looking at an Anubis level threat."

"Anubis level?" Cam asked doubtfully. "Really?"

"You have no idea what Helen Magnus is capable of, Colonel Mitchell." Janet replied as she gave him a firm look. "Her intellect is on par with Sam’s, couple that with a century and half of knowledge and experience. She has connections and reassures worldwide, friends in higher places than even the red phone in Landy’s office. And that’s just the very tip of a very large iceburg."

"Ok” Landy says a bit sharply to get things back on track. “Assuming no one off world knows about Doctor Magnus, what else would attract her to whoever has them?”

The answer to his question would come in the form of Bra'tac. The Jaffa master arrived with information he'd gathered from Ishta as well as the Tok'ra. Rakia had been discovered as a spy. Thankfully she'd never been entrusted with the location of Hak'tyl III so the planet was safe, but she had managed to escape with other possibility useful information. It was Bra'tac's belief that Rakia's mistress was looking for a new host, but not just any host.

"Astarte is one of two surviving goa'uld queens." Bra'tac explained. "According to Tok'ra sources her current host is too old to produce new viable larva.” He continues. “While on Hak'tyl, Colonel Carter and Doctor Magnus both showed qualities that would make them perfect new hosts for her, strong, intelligent, brave, beautiful."

For a moment they all just stared at Bra’tac and his unashamed appreciation for Helen and Sam. Then Cam spoke up, “Ok, so, Astarte picks her favorite of the three as her new host, what happens to the other two?” 

"The last larva Astarte produced was another queen." Bra'tac told them. "She will use either Doctor Magnus or Colonel Carter for herself and the other will host her daughter. She is hoping to restart the Empire using her own offspring."

Teal'c grumbled in such a way that Daniel asked, "What is it Teal'c?"

"Tok'ra sources." He replied. "They are watching her instead of bringing her in to face her crimes like the other goa'uld."

"That they are old friend." Bra'tac said with a nod. "Queen larva are not like normal larva. Not only are they the only ones who can reproduce, but they also have a measure of free will. They are born with all the knowledge of the parents, but they are not imprinted with their characteristics."

"Egeria." Daniel said with wide eyes. "The Tok'ra have been watching Astarte because they want her daughter, they want to try and make her their new queen?"

Bra'tac nodded.

"Ok so where is this queen and how do we get to her?" Nikola asked. "How do we get Helen and her daughters back?"

Bra'tac suddenly looked angry. "The Council would not agree to give me that information. However," He said as the anger faded a little. "Jacob Carter and Selmak still have many loyal allies and friends within the Tok'ra. It was one of those allies that gave me Astarte's location."

"Wait." Janet said as something hit her a little funny about what she was hearing. "Why would a friend of Jacob's tell you after the Tok’ra Council had already said no?"

"What is that human phrase I have heard O'Neill use?" Bra'tac mused. "Do not slay the envoy?"

"Don't kill the messenger." Cam corrected.

"Yes, that one." Bra'tac replied before looking at Janet and saying, "There is a small sect of Tok'ra who wish Colonel Carter to host the new queen."

Janet's eyes went wide with anger. "What!? Why, those arrogant son of…"

"I though the Tok'ra didn't forcibly take hosts?" Cam asked, cutting Janet's rant off while putting his hand on her arm.

"Even the smallest exposure to Colonel Carter and the remnants of Jolinar of Malkshur should be enough to turn the new queen towards the Tok'ra's side." Bra'tac explained.

"Well we're not going to let Colonel Carter and her family linger long enough for any of that to happen." Landry said. "SG1, you know what to do."

"Yes Sir." Cam said as he jumped to his feet. Vala, Teal'c and Daniel stood as well.

"We're going as well." Nikola said firmly as he stood.

"Absolutely not." Landry replied with a shake of his head. "My people will handle this."

The first time they were moved through the ship Sam noticed something peculiar about it. It took a few moments for her to realize what it was. The ship was only running on minimal power. Why? Was it damaged? Or was it trying to hide? Using the top speed of a tel'tak Sam calculated how far from Earth they could be. Was it possible they were still within range of one of their ships? Wouldn't that be convenient, but of course Sam knew it wouldn't be that easy. It never was.

Glancing over at her mother Sam watched as Helen took everything in as well. She noticed a slight squint to Helen's identical pair of piercing blue eyes as she tried to read the hieroglyphs on the gold walls as they walked past. She saw the tension in Helen's muscles; she was ready for a fight at a moment’s notice. Good, because as soon as Sam figured out a plan there would be fighting involved, lots of fighting. Thinking about taking on a ship full of Jaffa, though again Sam noticed how few there seemed to be and how odd that was, Sam turned her head to look at Ashley. She had to give her little sister credit. Ashley didn't look phased at all over the situation. There wasn't a single flicker of fear or uncertainty in the youngest Magnus. Sam knew that after this was done, when they were home on Earth safe and sound Ashley would finally give in to what she was feeling. Sam promised herself and Ashley that she'd be there to help her through it.

Their Jaffa escort pushed the three Magnus women into the ship's pel'tak and in front of the ornate throne. The throne was made of marble with lion claw feet and doves carved into each corner of the backrest. The woman sitting on the throne was beautiful. Her skin was the color of coffee with just a little too much milk, her hair was long and pure white, and her eyes were the color of caramel. She was old, which you didn't see often in goa'uld. An old goa'uld, that didn't sit right with Sam. The knot in her stomach tightened and her mind raced. How was she going to get them out of this?

"Kneel before your Goddess." One of the Jaffa said behind them.

Before Helen could react, she felt the bottom of the staff weapon he carried strike the back of her knees and before she could stop herself, she was dropping to the floor. She would have gotten right back to her feet but when she leaned back to straighten herself to stand, she felt the weapon press into her back between her shoulder blades. This wasn't her first time in a captive position. Hell, this wasn't even the first time she was forced to her knees in front of someone. She'd been able to get herself out of those unfortunate situations, but those circumstances had not involved being on a spaceship in outer space. Every instinct she had was telling her to take control of things and get her daughters out of this mess, but she was slightly out of her element here and as hard as it was for Helen to admit, she knew she'd have to let Sam take the lead on this.

"Colonel Samantha Carter of the infamous SG1, and former host to Jolinar of Malkshur." The goa'uld said from her perch as she eyed Sam in a way that made the blonde shudder on the inside. "I have heard a lot about you, Samantha."

"Wish I could say the same." Sam replied, as she looked the goa'uld in the eyes. "I don't even know your name."

"I am Astarte, and until now there was no need for you to know of me." Came the goa'uld's response. "I had as much use for Earth as you would have for your mother's womb." Her caramel colored eyes feel on Helen and she smiled. "Rakia tells me you are the mother of Samantha Carter." Her gaze shifted from Helen to Sam and back again. "She did not exaggerate regarding your apparent youth. How is this possible?"

"Just lucky I guess." Helen replied.

"Watch your insolence, woman!" The First Prime barked while raising a hand towards Helen.

"Jaffa kree!" Astarte ordered and her First Prime stopped. Standing from her throne Astarte walked down to where her three captives knelt. She stood in front of Helen and looked into her eyes. For several long moments all she did was hold that gaze, then he raised her hand, aimed her ribbon device at Helen and activated it.

The pain hit Helen by surprise and before she could stop herself, she cried out. She was faintly aware of Sam and Ashley crying out her name but couldn't see the Jaffa grab them and hold them back. After the shock of the pain wore off Helen was able to gain control of herself again and she began struggling against the pain, fighting it. Her head had dropped, her shoulders had drooped, but as she pushed against the pain she straightened up and looked Astarte right in the eyes again.

Astarte stopped. She dropped her hand and smiled brightly. "Yes, yes you will do nicely."

Helen was panting but she didn't break eye contact and her voice was an angry growl. "Do nicely for what?"

"My new host of course." Astarte said before turning to Sam. "And you, Samantha Carter, you've played a major role in the fall of the Goa'uld Empire. It's only right you play a role in restoring it." Astarte signaled someone with her hand and a priest came out holding an ornate larva tank. Astarte walked over and caressed the tank in a way that could almost be considered lovingly. Turning to look at Sam she said, "You will be host to a new queen, my daughter."

Her nightmare was getting worse by the moment. Sam watched as Astarte moved towards them once more. She had to find a way off this ship.

"Now, what am I to do with you?" Astarte asked as she stepped in front of Ashley.

"How about you bite me you space worm bitch." Ashley replied.

Ashley too was sucker punched by the pain of the ribbon device and like her mother she did her best to fight against it when she could.

"Ashley!" Helen carried out.

"Leave her alone!" Sam demanded.

"Why should I spare her?" Astarte demanded. "I only need the two of you." She let another moment pass before stopping. "She's strong. Perhaps I could find use for her. Once I've taken my new host, I could bare another queen and use her as host, or, perhaps she would make a fine First Prime for my princess." Astarte turned to look at Sam. "Would you like that Samantha Carter? To have your sister serve you as First Prime?"

Anger and fear filled Sam's eyes as she said, "It's never going to happen! I won't let you take them!"

Astarte laughed as she hand-signaled her Jaffa to take the three away. They pulled the three women to their feet and as they started shoving them out of the room Astarte said, "That fire will be put to good use once my daughter has taken you."

They were taken back to their cell. Sam wondered why. Why was Astarte waiting? Did she want to make a ceremony out of it? Probably. Then she wondered if maybe Astarte was waiting because she didn't have a sarcophagus on board. There was no way she or her mother would be willing hosts, which meant they had to use a sarcophagus to force the blending. Either way this would hopefully give them time.

"Are you two alright?" Sam asked once they were alone in the cell.

"That hurt!" Ashley complained as she held her head as best as she could with shackled hands. "But yeah I'm ok, I think."

"We'll be fine, Samantha." Helen reassured her eldest while her gaze carefully took in her youngest.

"I am so sorry." Sam told them before going over to the wall and kicking it. "This is my fault. I've put you both in danger that I'm not sure how to get you out of."

Helen walked over to her daughter and turned Sam around so they were face to face. "This isn't your fault, Samantha, and I know you'll think of something. You just need to take a breath and deal with your fear, it's clouding your mind."

"The only reason you're here is because of me!" Sam argued.

"Yeah because you're such a bad ass bitch that they want to be you." Ashley said with a proud smile. "And now they think it's a family trait so let’s show 'em that a Magnus is too much for them to handle."

Sam actually smiled at that. "That's the reason we're in this mess, Ash. A Magnus with the power of a goa'uld? She'd be unstoppable."

"Well I have always wondered what it would be like to rule the galaxy." Helen teased.

"Mom!" Sam squeaked out a chuckle.

"What?" Helen replied. "Not funny?" She smiled reassuringly at her daughters. The tension and fear faded from her girls a bit and she knew now they could really get down to figuring things out. "So, what do we do now?"

"We get the hell out of this cell." Ashley said.

"How?" Helen asked.

Sam had this faraway look on her face for a moment and then her eyes flexed with a hint of surprise. "I think we'll get the chance to try soon."

"Samantha?" Helen questioned.

"Astarte's priest." Sam answered. "I know him, or rather, Jolinar knew him. He's Tok'ra."

The Tok'ra. How the hell were they supposed to trust the Tok'ra now? They wanted to make Sam their new queen. They wanted to use her and her memories of Jolinar to hopefully convert a goa'uld queen to their side. They had no way of knowing if that would work. They were willing to risk Sam's life on a gamble that her inherent goodness would change the inherent evil of the symbiote. Yeah, because that worked out so well for Shau'nac, Janet thought while stepping through the Stargate. Well, that was a gamble Janet wasn't willing to take.

"Are you sure this is the planet they'll bring them too?" Cam asked as SG1, Janet, Bra'tac, and Will made their way along the path from the Stargate to a cluster of woods where they could lay low. Janet had convinced Landry to let her and Will come along. She used the excuse that there might be need for medical attention and she had knowledge of that unique Magnus trait they'd been talking about. She'd also vouched for Will, and so had Jack when Landry called to talk to him. It was decided Nikola and Henry would stay behind. No one thought it a good idea to educate the goa'uld on the existence of vampires and werewolves. Or to let Nikola get close enough to the Stargate to get any ideas of his own.

Bra'tac nodded. "According to my sources this is where Astarte is keeping her sarcophagus, and there is no way to force the bonding with Doctor Magnus and Colonel Carter without one. Their minds and spirits are too strong to be so easily overcome."

Cam nodded. He took a moment to think and then began to speak, "Ok, so here's the plan…"

"Teal'c, Doctor Fraiser, and I will make contact with the Rebel Jaffa of this world." Bra'tac told them. "The rest of you wait here."

"Um," Cam said, confused. "Wait, why are you three going off on your own? And why are you taking Fraiser?"

"The Rebels of this world will help us get into the pyramid." Bra'tac explained. "Once inside we will be able to aide Colonel Carter and the others."

Teal'c nodded. "I have no doubt that Colonel Carter will have devised a way to escape. We must be in a position to assist."

"Ok, that part I get, but why are you taking the Doc?" Cam asked again.

Bra'tac smiled. "We may run into trouble."

"So, you're taking her in case you get hurt?" Cam asked next, still very confused.

Bra'tac looked both amused and insulted. "Doctor Fraiser is well known and respected among the Jaffa. She helped to liberate us from the slave chain that was our symbiote." He huffed, nodded his head firmly, and then smiled. "I also enjoy watching the little one fight."

Janet felt both slightly insulted and oddly cocky. It was nice to know someone like Bra'tac saw her as more than just a passive healer.

As they watched the three head off into the trees Will stepped up to Daniel and said, "He's a bit of an old dog, isn't he?"

"You have no idea." Daniel replied.

The main door of the cell area opened slowly, revealing the ornate robes of Astarte's priest, he was alone which was good. Sam stood but made no move to come closer to the cell door. If he wanted to speak to them he would have to come into the cell, which he did after pressing a jewel on his ring which opened the cell door. "Rousdy."

Dark forest green eyes twitched in surprise. Then realization hit. "You still retain Jolinar's memories."

"Her memories." Sam said with a nod. "Her emotions. I don't just know who you are. I know how she felt about you."

Rousdy sighed softly. "I hope that doesn't influence what you think of me."

"What I think of you will depend on what you're doing here." Sam told him.

"You've come to get us out right?" Ashley asked as she stepped up to stand beside her sister. "Because Sam says you're one of those good worms, like the one who was inside Jacob's head."

Rousdy looked at Ashley as she spoke but then turned his gaze to Sam once more. "I will help you, if you'll help me."

Sam narrowed her eyes. "Help you how?"

"I will ensure your mother is not taken as a host, and that she and your sister are taken to the Stargate and returned to Earth." Rousdy told her. "In exchange for you agreeing to host the new queen."

Shock washed over Sam's features before she could stop it. "What?"

"The Tok'ra are so few with no hope of replenishing our numbers." Rousdy said. "You know this, Colonel Carter. If we are to survive, we must find a new queen."

"And you're hoping this larval queen is that queen?" Sam asked him. He nodded yes. "Ok, but why do you need me? Just steal the damn thing."

"We believe the host will make a great difference in turning the new queen towards the Tok'ra and not the Goa'uld." Rousdy replied. "We believe you to be the host we need."

Dozens of thoughts swirled around Sam's head as she tried to make sense of this. "Did you have a hand in this? In us being here?"

"Yes." Rousdy replied honestly.

Sam quickly snatched the front of his robes in her fists. "Taking me is one thing. Why my mother and sister?"

"To ensure you'd agree." Rousdy replied as he looked into her eyes and made no move to free himself. "The original plan was to use Doctor Fraiser, but Astarte would have never chosen her as a host. When Rakia reported back with news of your mother, we knew she would be perfect. Astarte would instantly see her value, giving us the bargaining chip we would need to get you to help us."

Sam looked appalled, horrified even. She pushed him away from her roughly, even taking a step back. "You're trying to force me to become a host by threatening to force it on my mother?"

"It would only be temporary if you so wished it." Rousdy told her.

"You don't know that!" Sam argued. "You don't know that this new queen would willingly give up a host!" She looked at him with utter disgust. "What would Egeria think of what you're doing? You're going against everything she believed in!"

"We are a dying race Colonel Carter." Rousdy hissed at her. "The Tok'ra…"

"You're not a Tok'ra." Sam bit back. "If you insist on following through with this plan of yours, you're no better than a Goa'uld."

Rousdy eyes flashed with anger as he raised his hand to strike Sam, but Helen was there to catch his wrist. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." She told him as she pressed her nails into the tendon in his wrist. "It really upsets me when someone raises a hand to my children."

The pain Helen was causing blinded Rousdy from Ashley slipping his dagger from his belt. He'd been so startled when Sam had grabbed him that he didn't notice her slipping off the brooch he wore inside his robe, which was a secondary control pad. "Let go of me, tau’ri!" Helen did and he backed away, cradling his wrist in his hand. He glared at Sam. "Those are your options Colonel. Either way you're going to be host to a new queen. Wither your mother become Astarte's is up to you."

Sam turned her face from him. She made it seem as if she were considering it.

"Samantha." Helen said firmly. "I forbid it."

Sam looked up and blinked. "What?"

"You heard me." Helen replied. She’d have crossed her arms over her chest if she could have, but since she couldn’t she had to settle on a hard look. "I am your mother and I forbid you from becoming host to another space worm."

"We are not space worms!" Rousdy grumbled. "You have until we reach the planet to make your decision Colonel."

Once they were alone in the cell again Ashley looked at her sister and said, "Wow, that played out just as your said."

"Every argument Jolinar ever had with him was about trying to create a new queen." Sam replied. "A Tok'ra agent still undercover in service to a goa'uld rather than capturing her, the queen larva ready for implantation, it just all made sense once Jolinar's memories opened up."

"So, what do we do now?" Helen asked.

"First we get out of here and find the armory." Sam said as she held up the brooch. "Then I need access to the ship's computer core."

They were hidden in the tent of one of the Rebel Jaffa who'd been trying to put an end to Astarte and her remaining larva. The Tok'ra might have been willing to at least try and separate symbiote from host, but the Jaffa preferred to just kill both and get it over with outright. It might seem like the more barbaric of the two but when you took into account the trauma of removal and it's rather low success rate when it came to the host surviving the process, was it really?

If Will weren't so worried about Magnus and Ashley, being on an alien world with alien warriors would be a totally different experience for him. "How much longer are we just going to sit here?"

"I'm with him." Cam said as he jerked a thumb at Will. "We're supposed to be rescuing Sam and her mom and her little sister, not having a Jaffa tea party."

"Patience." Bra'tac told them.

"Easy for him to say." Will huffed. This was his family out there. Magnus, Ashley, even Sam, meant a great deal to Will and he hated feeling so helpless.

A short time later a young warrior came bursting into the tent. "Master Bra'tac! Master Bra'tac!"

"What is it boy?" Bra'tac replied.

"The guards at the pyramid." The young man replied in a panting voice. "They're in an uproar. There's something going on aboard the Queen's ship."

That news got everyone's attention.

"What kind of something?" Daniel asked.

"I heard something about a fire fight outside an armory, and that life support was shut off to all the sections circling the computer core." The young man reported. "The ship is still on route here, but nearly all other systems were locked out."

"That's Sam!" Janet said proudly.

"How long before the ship lands?" Bra'tac asked.

"Soon." The young man reported. "Uur'ry says to come now. If your friends are boxed into the computer core, they will need help fighting their way out."

"Saddle up SG1." Cam said as he checked his weapons. "Time for the Calvary to ride in."

From the ship's computer Sam had been able to discover what planet they were heading for and where it's gate was. She explained her plan to her mother and sister, showing them on the display the route they would take once she ringed them from the ship to the pyramid. Hopefully, the Jaffa on board the ship would continue thinking they were locked in the computer core and would continue trying to get to them. Sam figured the hardest part would be getting to the Stargate, but once they had access to that they could dial one of the off world sights since she didn't have a GDO with her.

"Ready?" Sam asked them.

Helen nodded while Ashley smiled as she picked up her staff weapon. Helen and Sam had both grabbed zat guns, but Ashley just couldn't say no to the staff weapon.

"Ok then." Sam turned to the console. She activated life support in the hallway that lead to the ring transporter, and then she hit start on the self-destruct.

They made it to the rings and transported to the pyramid but that's as far as they made it before running into trouble. They took out the Jaffa waiting on them and managed to get a few corridors away before coming up against their first big foe. Sam fired on the First Prime first and then Helen, the second shot killing him while Ashley took out the two men he had with him. Helen and her girls fought together as if it were the most natural thing, responding to one another as if purely by instinct. But as well as the three women fought together, they were just three women against an army.

Rakia had them outnumber and cornered. For some reason she didn't go for Sam when she attacked, she went for Ashley. Sam barely caught her screaming something at the younger blonde about being the rightful first prime to the princess. Rakia had Ashley pinned to the wall, the staff weapon she'd been using pressed against her throat. Sam grabbed the female Jaffa by the hair and pulled her away from her sister. Rakia charged at her, knocking the zat from Sam's hand. Sam had never missed her P90 more than she had during this whole ordeal. Ashley had given her the dagger she’d nicked, drawing it from from where she'd tucked it into her belt Sam found herself fighting hand to hand with Rakia while Helen and Ashley took care of as many Jaffa as they could.

The dagger sank into Rakia's symbiote pouch. Sam angled the blade upwards and thrust as hard as she could. The look of surprise on Rakia's face before she died was oddly satisfying, but Sam didn't get to enjoy it for long. She felt the force of the ribbon device before hitting the wall. She barely had time to catch her breath before she was caught up in the agonizing beam of energy.

"I was offering you the galaxy!" Astarte hissed as she slowly began killing Sam. "Your world will be the first to burn!"

"Hey!” Came a shout through the chaos. “Get your damn goa'uld hands off my wife!"

Sam watched wide eyed as Astarte turned her head to look at who had dared speak to her only to have a 9mm bullet sink into her forehead. Sam sank to the floor when the ribbon device shut off now that its user was dead.

Janet ran to Sam and dropped to her knees. "Sam? Sam, are you alright?"

Sam could only nod, look shocked, and smile. Now that she wasn't under the thralls of the ribbon device Sam could hear the gunfire mixed in with the staff weapons and zats. It was a beautiful sound. Janet helped her to her feet and handed her a P90. Sam wrapped her hands around the metal and beamed at Janet as she said, "God I love you."

When the fight was over the relief was almost too overwhelming. Sam felt lightheaded but she remained steady on her feet as she took it all in. She grinned at the sight of her team. "What the hell took you so long?"

"Bra'tac couldn't decide on what cape to wear." Cam teased.

Bra'tac didn't get the joke. Sam wasn't sure if she was laughing at that or if she was just overly giddy because of the adrenalin rush. No, she'd never gotten giddy on a mission before. Oh, wait; her head hit a wall, that would explain the pounding.

"Are you three alright?" Janet asked, as she looked her family over.

"Of course, we are." Ashley grinned, ignoring the nasty energy weapon graze on her bicep.

Helen was a bit worse for wear as well, and yet she replied, "We're just fine, dear."

"So, I don't know how you guys do it but now's the time when we normally get the hell out of dodge." Will said while handing Magnus and Ashley handguns.

"Yeah, we should go before this place explodes." Sam said with a firm nod.

"Sammie turned the ship into a bomb." Ashley said proudly.

"Ok then let’s move people." Cam said and jerked his head towards the way out.

More Jaffa fell on their way out, and still more as they made their way to the gate, but they didn't hit any real problems until they reached the gate. Rousdy was there with the larva tank. He was in the middle of dialing an address on the DHD, the tank tucked under his arm. As soon as Sam saw him, she stumbled because she was hit with a sudden memory. It was Jolinar promising she'd kill him before she let him risk their people by bringing in a goa'uld queen. Sam aimed her P90 at him. "Rousdy stop!"

The Tok'ra turned, wide eyed with surprise. "Carter how did you…"

"There's a reason you wanted me for that thing." She reminded him.

"Yes, and my reasons are still just!" Rousdy replied. "We need a queen!"

"It isn't going to be me." Sam said as she continued to inch towards him.

The symbiote began to trash in its tank. Rousdy looked at it and them up at Sam. "My Queen likes you. She wants you as her host." He opened the tank and took the symbiote out. He charged towards Sam.

Sam fired. Rousdy fell. She fired again. There wasn't much left of the symbiote.

Sam and Helen were injured worse than they let on. Janet confined them to beds in the infirmary and even threatened to put armed SFs on the door if she had too. Sam's head was still pounding but not nearly as bad. Looking across the room at her mother she couldn't help but feel guilty. Her mother was injured because of her. Thankfully, whatever Astarte and Rakia knew about Helen went up in a fireball when the ship and pyramid exploded. "Mom?"

Helen opened her eyes and looked across the room at Sam and smiled. That smile faded a little when she saw the look in Sam's eyes. "Samantha, don't you dare."

"But…" Sam began.

"Samantha, I swear if you apologize one more time I'm going to get out of this bed and smack you." Helen warned.

Sam's eyebrow shot up in a quizzically amused way. "I though you didn't like it when people raised a hand to your kids."

"Other people, not me." Helen replied. "I'm your mother I'm allowed."

"Ok, fine." Sam said with a sigh. "I won't apologize for nearly getting you turned into a space villain." She paused a moment and then said rather quickly, "I am sorry I've given you more to worry about. I know it was easier to deal with what I do when you didn't know the finer details."

Helen thought that over for a moment and then smiled reassuringly at her daughter. "Yes, I do have a better understanding of what you're facing out there, and yes it's rather scary to think that that kind of threat exists out there and that you're out there fighting it. But that wasn't the only thing I saw out there, Samantha." Helen smiled proudly at her daughter. "I got to see you handle a tough situation with such brilliance. Watching you think through the situation and watching the way you worked with all that alien technology as if you'd been born to do so, Samantha, I couldn't be more proud of you. Knowing what you are truly capable of, and knowing you have an amazing team backing you up, it helps. I'm still going to worry, but it helps."

Sam smiled as a soft blush crept over her cheeks.

"Everything alright in here?" Janet asked as she walked in carrying a tray.

"Everything's fine." Helen reassured.

Sam lit up. "Blue jello?"

"Of course." Janet said as she set the tray down.

"You bring me automatic weapons and blue jello." Sam beamed as she sighed softly, her bright eyes looking at Janet with love and affection. "You're so perfect."

Janet laughed. "You're still not leaving this infirmly until I say so, Sam."

Sam pouted but it didn't last once Janet handed her the jello. Helen watched and smiled. Shortly after they were allowed visitors, Ashley, with her bandaged arm, Will and Henry arrived to check on them. Nikola was escorted in by SFs and grumbled about it the whole time. Helen ordered Will and Henry to take him home to Old City. SG1 appeared following their briefing. Vala was full of hugs and soft whispers of, "I'm glad you're alright, Samantha." In the end things had turned out ok and Sam had gotten to do what she did best, taking down goa'uld, with her mom and her sister at her side. Like Ashley said, a Magnus was too much to handle, and three of them, well, gods help those who cross all three of them.


	15. Helping Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janet asks for Helen's help with a medical mystery

The claw footed tub was made to hold two people with each end high enough to lean back against comfortably. Helen had been the first to sink into the hot, rose scented, bubble bath. Candles provided the only light and one of Helen's favorite Bach pieces, Concerto for 2 Violins in D Minor, was playing from hidden speakers around the room. She had a bottle of her best Bordeaux on the table beside the tub, as well as a few select sweets that consisted of several chocolate truffles. She was on her second glass of wine, while an empty glass waited beside the bottle for Charlotte to finally joined her. Charlotte filled the empty glass when she arrived and smiled as she carefully stepped into the tub. Helen looked so peaceful with her head back against the little tub pillow, her eyes closed, her breathing slow and even. Charlotte didn't have the heart to disturb her, so she moved as quietly and as gently as possible. She settled into the tub facing Helen, leaning back against the opposite end. She sipped her wine, listened to the beautiful music playing, and simply watched the amazing woman across from her. They often spent time in comfortable silence like this, simply enjoying the nearness of one another in these rare moments of tranquility.

Helen always had so much going on, almost all the time, that when she was able to be with Charlotte like this it gave her a chance to just stop, to live in the moment, to breathe. Feeling Charlotte so close, feeling her legs brush against her own as she settled into the tub, to hear her breathing slow and become deep and even, it made Helen smile. Somewhere along the way Helen had lost her ability to live in the moment, to slow down and savor the aspects of her life that brought her happiness. Losing Ashley, and discovering the loss of Samantha as well, it reminded her to stop and live her life, not simply exist through it.

Of course, the serene moment could only last for so long before one of them did something to set off a spark. The brush of Charlotte's foot against Helen's hip. Helen's hand sliding along Charlotte's calf. Helen felt the movement of the water as Charlotte shifted her position. Her smile turned into a knowing smirk, but her eyes remained close. The kiss she knew was coming, the explosion of wine that filled her mouth along with Charlotte's tongue was a bit of surprise, one that made her moan pleasantly. Helen wrapped her arms around Charlotte, her hands roaming over warm slippery skin as they kissed.

The music suddenly paused and instantly both women's bodies tensed. They hoped it hadn't stopping for the reason they knew it had but that hope was dashed when Vivaldi was replaced by Helen's ringtone.

"Don't you dare." Charlotte grunted as she pulled back from the kiss to glare at Helen.

Helen smiled apologetically while simultaneously looking really annoyed. "I'm sorry darling. I wouldn't but that isn't a work ringtone, it's family."

Charlotte groaned but didn't try to stop Helen from reaching for her phone. She was, however, not going to make having a conversation easy for Helen.

Helen was biting her lip as she answered the call. Her lover's hands had been full of her soap bubble covered breasts when the phone began to ring, and Charlotte had decided that at least one would remain so. Helen did her best to sound as natural as possible as she said, "Magnus." She paused, bitting her lip again as Charlotte squeezed, and then replied. "Janet." She hoped her voice didn't sound to out of sorts as she continued. "Hello dear." Another pause, her eyes were fluttering closed as Charlotte's free hand slide across her stomach, and she had to swallow a moan when she began nipping at her earlobe. "No, it's not a bad time." She had to pause to control her tone and breathing. "I'm just taking advantage of some down time." She had to use her own free hand to physically stop Charlotte's from going beneath the water. "What can I do for you?"

It was the seriousness of Janet's tone that hit her before her daughter-in-law's words. She gently nudged Charlotte to stop which she did. Charlotte could sense the sudden change in Helen, the shift from relaxed to concerned. Helen continued to listen and then nodded. "I'm glad you felt that you could call and ask for my help. Of course, I'll come right away." She paused for a moment to look at Charlotte and then added, "You've called at a very opportune time, Janet. I just happen to have access to someone I think will be a big help. Let your superiors know I'll be bringing someone along."

"Thank you, Helen." Janet said as she sat behind her desk in her darkened office. After hanging up the phone Janet sat back in her chair and sighed softly. She'd actually been hesitant to call Helen, for several reasons. She didn't want to pull the other woman into what could be a dangerous situation because Helen was someone she cared about and wouldn't want to put at risk. But there was also the fact that it wasn't always easy for Janet to ask for help. She had been faced with issues like this before and had always managed to do just fine without asking for outside help, but this time was different. The virus that SG17 had brought back with them from P8D-562 was unlike anything Janet had ever seen before. Even Carolyn had been thrown by the test results they were coming up with. It had actually been her second in command that had given Janet the idea of calling Helen.

"There is something seriously abnormal about this virus." Carolyn had said while looking at the magnified culture sample they had projecting from the microscope.

Abnormal. Who knew more about everything abnormal than her mother-in-law?

Helen had chartered a flight from Old Town to Colorado Springs so she could spend the flight arranging what needed to be in place by the time they landed. She was on the phone with someone in Washington almost the whole time, while also exchanging emails with several other people. Charlotte did her best to stay out of the way as Helen worked. All she knew was that her eldest daughter's wife, who was a doctor, needed their help with something and Helen felt she would be invaluable.

"Sign these for me, darling." Helen said as she held out a tablet to her.

"Ok." Charlotte said as she took the device. "What am I signing?"

"The official paperwork making you a member of the Sanctuary network." Helen said as she watched her lover sign on the digital line. Then she swiped her finger across the screen. "And this is the paperwork that will give you the proper clearance for where we are going. That one will require a fingerprint scan."

Charlotte blinked. "So, what, now I work for you?"

Helen smiled. "I was going to ask you to join officially soon anyway. This just quickened the time frame."

Once the paperwork was handled Helen swapped out her work bag for a makeup bag. Charlotte watched, intrigued by what Helen was doing, until she simply had to ask. "What are you doing?"

"A sometimes necessary evil." Helen replied as she used combinations of foundation, concealer, contouring powder, and pencils to make herself look older. "Only Samantha's team and her commanding officer know the truth about my age, while the whole base knows I am her mother. It is safer and honestly easier for us both if I endure a little deviation from my normal makeup routine."

When they landed at the airfield she always used when visiting Colorado Springs and disembarked from the private jet they found a military jeep waiting for them. She smiled at the young man waiting beside the jeep for them. "Hello again," She paused to look at his rank patch and smiled. "Staff Sergeant Henderson is it now? Congratulations."

The young man smiled warmly as he opened the door for them. "Thank you, Doctor Magnus." He loaded their bags into the back of the jeep and then slipped into the driver's seat. "I'll take your things to the Colonel's house after I drop you off. Doctor Frasier is waiting for you."

"Understood, thank you." Helen replied with a slight nod of acknowledgement.

"Helen." Charlotte said softly as they were driven from the airfield. "Where are we going?"

"Cheyenne Mountain." Helen answered, and then said nothing more until she received a message on her phone. By then the mountain was looming ahead of them. Her contacts had cut it close with getting Charlotte's clearance, she would have to have a chat with them about that. Turning to Charlotte, Helen smiled warmly, reassuringly at her girlfriend, and then began to explain. "As you know Samantha and Janet are both Air Force officers, but what you don't know is just what they do for the Air Force. The things you will learn and see will be astounding, and you must never tell anyone about any of it."

"Helen." Charlotte said with a bit of a frown. "I don't understand."

Helen smiled softly. "You will."

Janet was waiting at the security checkpoint to greet them. She smiled welcomingly as they approached. "Helen. Thank you for coming."

"Of course, Janet." Helen said as they hugged quickly in greeting. She could see the stress and fatigue on Janet's face, and feel the tension in her body as they hugged. They often fussed over Samantha's habits, how she would regularly get lost in her work and forget about self-care. It was evident that it wasn't just a Magnus family blood trait, it seemed to extend to those welcomed open heartedly as part of the family as well. "You asked for my help, dear. Where else would I be?"

That warmed Janet's heart. Turning to the wide-eyed Charlotte she smiled and said, "It's good to see you again, Charlotte. Welcome to Stargate Command. I would give you the grand tour but I'm afraid time isn't on our side. The virus, it's not a fast progressing virus, but it's one of the nastiest I’ve seen in a long time. I would really like to try and ease some of my people's pain, sooner rather than later. Besides, the tour is always Sam's favorite part and she isn't here at the moment."

Charlotte nodded her understanding. "Helen explained what you've told her over the phone. I'd be more than happy to offer any assistance I can."

"Charlotte specializes in deadly diseases." Helen said with warm pride in her vibrant blue eyes.

For the first time since this all began Janet didn't feel so overwhelmingly flustered. She had exhausted all of her experience and knowledge and had gotten very little out of it. The only thing she had managed to do was break down the virus enough for them to realize it wasn't like anything they'd seen before, and she and her people had seen a hell of a lot in the many years of service to the SGC. As she led Helen and Charlotte through the complex to her labs, she explained in more detail what had happened. She told them that SG17 had been sent to an uninhabited planet to look into possible resources. Preliminary scans hadn't detected anything harmful; the atmosphere was within acceptable parameters for a team mission, there weren't any detectable living threats, nothing had given them any reason to think the planet was hostile in anyway.

"There wasn't any sign of any kind of life on the planet at all, not a single example of fauna." Janet explained.

"So, what you're telling me is that this virus is something from another planet?" Charlotte questioned, dumbfounded and feeling more than a little overwhelmed.

"And you thought we hand out hands full with just what this world is capable of." Carolyn Lam said from the other side of the room.

Charlotte blinked at the sudden surprise of a familiar face. "Doctor Lam."

Carolyn nodded in greeting. "Doctor Benoit."

"So, you did leave to take a military contract." Charlotte said as the two shook hands.

"I couldn't refuse." Carolyn replied. "And it seems you couldn't either? You took a private sector position?"

Charlotte looked over at Helen and then returned her gaze to Carolyn. "It was an offer of a lifetime." Turning towards Helen once again she explained, "Doctor Lam and I worked together at the CDC."

Helen nodded her understanding and offered her hand to Carolyn. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you face to face. We talked often during Samantha's illness awhile back."

"Doctor Frasier has told me about some of your accomplishments, Doctor Magnus, but I have to admit the fact that you got Colonel Carter to stay home for a week and half was by far one of the most impressive." Carolyn teased. "Forgive me for saying it aloud but she's really stubborn."

That made both Janet and Helen laugh. "You don't have to tell us that, Doctor. We are well aware." She smiled warmly at the younger woman and then said, "Shall we get down to the matter at hand?"

"Yes, absolutely." Janet replied with a nod.

The next several hours were spent getting Helen and Charlotte briefed and up to speed. As much as Carolyn wanted to help, she was needed to run the day to day of the medical department while Janet was busy with the virus. While no one was coming or going through the Stargate until this was all under control, there was never a shortage of SGC personnel who still managed to hurt themselves in one way or another. After going over what information they had already Janet took Helen to quarantine to examine the team, while Charlotte went over test results and data. Once Helen felt they had a solid grip on things she looked over at Janet and said, "You have quarters on base, yes?"

Janet nodded while rubbed the back of her neck.

"Good." Helen said as she walked over to the younger woman and gave her a full-on Magnus power glare. "Use them."

"Helen." Janet began to protest.

Helen shook her head and crossed her arms as she said firmly, "You need to eat and sleep, Janet. You're a doctor, you know the importance of rest when it comes to how well the mind and body work. Go get something to eat and then a few hours of sleep. When you return in no fewer than six hours we will regroup and tackle this together."

For years now, Janet had watched from the sidelines with wonder and amusement as her wife melted and responded to the looks and tones of voice that came from Helen. In fact, Janet had taken great pleasure and eminence joy in watching her brilliant badass wife turn into a little girl at her mother's knee. Janet wasn't finding it so funny now that the force of nature that is Helen Magnus was turned solely on her. Janet Frasier stood at her full five foot two inches and tried her damnedest to glare right back at Helen. "Helen, I appreciate the concern but…"

"But nothing." Helen replied, her voice as firm and unwavering as it would be with Samantha, Ashley, or Henry. But then she suddenly softened a little, like she used to back in the early days of building a relationship and trust with Sam. "Do you trust me, Janet?"

"Of course, I do." Janet replied. "It's why I called you."

"Then trust that while you rest and take care of yourself, I will be taking care of your people." Helen reassured. Helen could see that Janet trusted her but there was still a fight behind those dark eyes, and she understood all too well that it had nothing to do with her or Charlotte, but a doctor's pride and drive to protect, to heal, to lessen the suffering of those who trust in her. "Janet, please."

Janet sighed softly. "Sam's right. That's a dirty trick. It's not fair to be all stern and scary and then suddenly be all soft and pleading. It's a mind trip!"

Helen laughed softly as she gently but firmly guided Janet towards the door. "No fewer than six hours, Janet. Food, sleep, and a hot shower. If I see you before the six hours is up, you'll see how stern and scary I can be, young lady. Now go."

Janet huffed on the other side of the door she'd just been pushed out of. She stood there for a moment in total disbelief and then resigned herself to her fate. She went to get something to eat from the commissary, then crashed in her quarters for a few hours. As she dressed six hours later following her shower, she realized the worse part of the whole thing was the fact that Helen had been right. Her mind was clouded from lack of sleep, her body fatigued from the lack of food and rest, and the few moments of peace in the shower had allowed her to organize her thoughts. When she returned to her lab, she was more than ready to work.

"You don't have to look so smug." Janet teased Helen when she walked in looking much better and more prepared to tackle this issue. "We all know you were right."

"Well." Helen smirked. "Mother knows best."

"You realize you've taken all the fun out of me teasing Sam?" Janet replied with a gentle, playful pout. "It's no longer funny when you're on the receiving end."

Helen simply smirked. Then she and Charlotte went over everything they'd worked on while Janet was gone. The three of them worked for hours non-stop. Charlotte discovered that the virus had a unique structure that's base was flora not fauna, meaning the team had contracted it from the plant life. Though it was very rare for a human to contract something from a plant it was known to happen. Pseudomonas aeruginosa for example was a pathogen that caused rot in plants and would attack weakened human body tissues when transferred to a person, but this wasn't anything like that. This virus wasn't attacking weakened parts of the body, but the strongest, feeding off it, weakening and softening it. After looking over the footage taken via aerial drone of the area where SG17 had been on the planet, Helen was the one who proposed the theory that the plant used the virus like a venom, weakening its prey before consuming it. She pointed out differences in the geological scans taken by the drone before and after the ill-fated mission. She explained that it could be possible that the differences around a particular type of plant could be as simple as a garden bed where fertilizer was used and one where it wasn't.

"The plants wait for the victim to die and then feed off it as it decomposes." Janet said with a mild look of horror on her face.

Helen nodded. “The tests Charlotte has run on the flora samples would suggest that the plants have evolved with an abnormal mutation that makes them different than plants that appear similar in type."

Janet looked up from her microscope to look at Helen. "I guess that means the abnormal gene does happen outside the confines of Earth."

"It certainly seems to suggest that, yes." Helen said with a nod. "But so much more needs to be researched before I'd even begin to think it's the same or has ties to us somehow.”

"You're still wondering if the goa'uld took Abnormals off planet?" Janet asked.

Helen nodded. "I have wondered if perhaps an abnormal led to the creation of the Jaffa."

Janet raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh, now that's an interesting thought."

Helen smiled down at her daughter-in-law. "A scientific mystery for another time."

The best way to fight venom was with venom. The next step for the trio was to start running tests on the plant, and that required more living samples. Janet, Helen, and Charlotte watched from the control room as a rover began to surgically extract samples. Charlotte couldn't help but be impressed. "That thing is amazing. It's so delicate in its movements, it's hard to believe it's a machine."

"It's a science rover, designed for just such sample gathering. It can collect flora and fauna with little upheaval to the ecosystem. Sam built it." Janet said proudly. "She calls it Eva." They watched it gather a few more samples and then she said, "That should be enough Sergeant, bring it back."

"Yes Ma'am." The man replied.

While Charlotte got started on the samples Janet went to check on her patients. Out of the four it was the youngest of them that was suffering the most. Janet walked over to check on his medication levels and his vitals. "How are you feeling, Lieutenant?"

"A little rough." The young man replied. He was trying so hard not to let how he was feeling both physically and emotionally show through. "But I'm good, Doc."

"Don't lie to her, kid." The woman in the next bed said. "You feel as shit as the rest of us do. Hell, Dugan, you look worse off than the rest of us. Doc can't help you if you aren't being honest with her, stupid pup."

Janet smirked at the other woman and then returned her attention to the young man. "Your Captain's right, Lieutenant Dugan, I can't help manage your pain if you're being macho."

"Yeah, well, what about the Captain's pain?" He replied. "She's sucking it up too."

"Yes, well, I've been Captain Atwell's doctor for a while now." Janet said as she prepared a syringe to inject into the young man's IV. "I know she's a lying hardass and configure my treatments by reading between the lines."

"Hey!" The Captain protested.

Janet smiled as she moved on to look over the other two team members. Outside the quarantine room, as she peeled away the protective wear she had on, she heard a voice on the other side of the clean area. She looked up to see Helen smiling at her.

"What?" Janet asked when she stepped out of the clean area and joined Helen.

"You're quite good." Helen told her. "I'm enjoying seeing firsthand why Samantha is so very proud of you, of who you are, and what you do."

Janet blushed deeply.

They'd come close to losing young Dugan, but they managed to work out a treatment just before things became to irreversible. It wasn't a miracle cure but a series of treatments using the very plant that had nearly cost four good soldiers their lives. Without Charlotte and Helen, Janet wasn't sure she'd have been able to win this one in time.

"Now that the medical crisis is over, I think I'm freaking out a little bit." Charlotte said as the three women sat in Janet's quarters with an open bottle of very old Scottish whiskey from Janet's private collection. "You have a giant metal embroidery ring that allows you to travel to other planets outside our solar system."

"I think that's the first time anyone has ever called it that." Janet said with a laugh. "But yes, we have a giant ring that sends us to other worlds."

"And right now, as we speak Sam's on a spaceship she helped design and build meeting with a group of aliens who want her to download their library?" Charlotte continued.

"The Odyssey, yes." Janet nodded as she refilled her glass. "It's a defensive and exploratory ship, second in the 304 line of ships. Sam helped in the design of all our current space ships."

"Wow." Charlotte said with genuine awe.

Several days later, following the Odyssey's return and just prior to Helen and Charlotte returning to Old Town, Teal'c asked to speak to Helen privately. She knew something had happened while SG1 and General Landry were out on their mission, but she wasn't privy to details. So, it came as a surprise when Teal'c began to speak.

"While on our mission we were attacked by the Ori." Teal'c told her as they stood in the privacy of Sam and Janet’s quarters. "In an attempt to save those of us who remained on the ship, Colonel Carter created a time distortion bubble. Time outside of the bubble slowed to almost a complete stop, while time within the bubble continued on normally. When a way to reverse the situation was finally found, someone had to remain inside the time distortion in order to initiate Colonel Carter’s solution. Because of my Jaffa lifespan, I remained inside the bubble, while the others placed themselves outside of it. Time for them restarted to the very moment of the bubble’s original creation. They remember nothing, while I remembered everything that happened."

"Teal'c." Helen said, stopping him. "I'm pretty sure you shouldn't be telling me this. Why are you?"

"Because fifty years passed inside the time distortion." Teal'c explained. "We all lived through fifty years, and during those fifty years, Colonel Carter did not physically age. She does not remember what happened, I will not tell them about that time, but I thought you should know. She did not age as the others did, and she was not prepared to handle it"

There it was. The answer to one of her biggest questions. Would her children be affected by her manipulated genetics? The answered it seemed was yes. "Thank you Teal'c. That is indeed something I needed to know."


	16. Heart to Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam gets a visitor after settling into her new assignment

The hardest part of all of this was being away from Janet and Cassie, away from her family and her friends, but it had been the chance of a lifetime. Atlantis had needed a new commander following the loss of Elizabeth Weir and the IOA had asked Sam. Accepting the assignment had not been an easy choice to make, and not one she'd made on her own. She and Janet had talked about it in length and at the end of it, Sam had Janet's blessing and encouragement. It had actually been Janet's belief in her that helped Sam get through the first days of her new command. Rodney had been pouty because he hadn't been given the command, which was just the cherry on top of the sundae that was having to deal with Rodney McKay at all. Then she had to deal with Ronon Dex and his friend drama. Thankfully, that had turned out for the best, because it quickly became evident that Lt. Col. Sheppard needed his team, the people he trusted most, to tell him not to touch things that glowed on foreign planets.

"Keller's good, young, but good." Sam said as she looked at the screen displaying her wife's face. "But she's not you."

Janet chuckled softly. "You can't keep comparing every doctor you work with to me."

"Why not?" Sam asked, a soft huff in her voice.

"Because you'll just set yourself up for disappointment every time." Janet replied, her smile warm and bright, her dark eyes twinkling.

Sam nodded her agreement to that statement. Jennifer Keller had handled not only the alien nightmare parasite well, but Sam had been really impressed with how she handled the mutated Krisan fever epidemic, despite what she'd thought while they were in the middle of it. "I still wish you'd been here."

"Are you still feeling a little out of place?" Janet asked, knowing her wife and best friend pretty damn well.

"Maybe a little." Sam admitted. "It's strange coming into a team that has history. I have a new understanding for what it must have been like for Cam and Vala."

The couple spoke for a little while longer before they had to bring their call to an end. Janet reminded Sam that she would be there is six weeks to visit, and Sam reminded Janet just how much she loved her. Janet told Sam she loved her too, and that she was proud of her. After the call Sam went about getting ready for bed, it had been a long day, but before turning in she remember to send her mother an email letting her know she was doing well. Helen had been so proud when Sam told her about the new position, but she'd also voiced some concern. Atlantis was the home of the Ancients and after Sam's last run in with one of them Helen was a little worried about her daughter being there alone. Sam wouldn't have anyone around who would understand what it would mean for her to be there. Sam did her best to reassure her mother and promised that she would send her an email at least once a week.

With that done Sam slipped into bed and began the often long process of falling asleep alone.

Warmth washed over Sam as she opened her eyes. She was standing in the middle of an empty diner. The clock above the counter ticked softly, neon lights outside the window cast an eerie glow through the slatted blinds. A table side mini jukebox played an old song that seemed familiar. A flicker of panic fluttered in Sam's stomach. She remembered going to sleep in her bed, in her quarters in Atlantis. How did she get here?

"Hello Sam."

Sam spun around to face the voice with wide surprised eyes. She didn't think she would ever hear that voice again. "Thomas?"

Thomas smiled warmly at his daughter. "It's good to see you again, Sam."

"What…" Sam said as she took a step towards him and then stopped. "How…" She blinked, and then said, "Are you really here?"

"I am." He said with a nod. He stepped a bit closer to her and then paused, not wanting to invade her space.

"How?" She repeated, bright blue eyes staring at him between bewildered blinks. "How are you here? Where are we?"

"We're Nowhere." Thomas answered as he waved his hand around them. "This is Nowhere."

"Nowhere?" Sam repeated skeptically. "There's no such place as nowhere, we have to be somewhere."

Thomas smiled warmly as he nodded and explained, "We are in that twilight place where the line between dreams and reality are blurred. That split second before you come to complete awareness in the real world."

"So, I'm just dreaming." Sam said with a flicker of disappointment in her voice.

"No." Thomas said as he finally closed the distance between them. He reached up and cupped his daughter's face, smiling at her in a way that let her know he was more than just a dream. "You're not dreaming, Sam."

"You're really here?" Sam repeated, her eyes wide from the warm, solid, feel of his hand on her cheek.

"I'm really here with you, Sam." Thomas nodded.

Finally, Sam smiled at him. "I'm really happy to see you. I'm glad you're alive."

"Well," He said as he dropped his hand and shrugged. "I'm not sure alive is the right word." He paused as if to think of how to explain and then said, "I still exist."

"Morgan said you were still alive." Sam said softly. "But I have a hard time believing anything she says."

"Our definition of living has always been quite different." Thomas said. "The only time I have truly lived was the time I spent with your mother, with you."

Sam smiled at that. Then she said, "Morgan also said I would never be able to see you again."

"They can prevent me from taking corporal form, or from coming to you as a light being, but they cannot keep me from this place." Thomas explained. "They could not even keep Anubis from entering this place. Nor can they keep you from coming here."

Again, Sam blinked. "Wait, you didn't bring me here?"

"What's the old human expression?" He said before pausing to think. "I may have kept a light on for you? But you are the one who found your way here."

"How?" Sam asked as she began looking around once again. "Why are we in a diner?" She felt a little uncomfortable being in a diner with Thomas. Diners had always been her thing with Jacob.

"Oma is rather found of diners." Thomas answered. "This is where she helped Daniel learn what he needed to know about Anubis." He twitched his fingers and the scene around them changed into one of the balconies that overlooked the city. "As for how you found your way here. I believe it's because you are here." He indicated Atlantis itself.

"Atlantis?" Sam questioned, relaxing now that she was in more familiar and neutral ground.

Thomas nodded and smiled. "What do you think of my old home?"

"Your home?" Sam asked as she watched Thomas as he took in the city laid out below them. Looking around herself she realized they were on the lookout post of the south west pier.

"I was an Lantean. My father grew plants and herbs for medicinal use, and my mother cooked, and brewed ales, and spirits for those in our quadrant." He pointed to a section of the city and smiled. "Right down there." He was quiet for a moment as he leaned against the railing just looking out over everything.

Then they found themselves in the control room and Sam watched as Thomas moved towards the sleeping sentinel that was their Stargate.

"I was just a boy when the final Wraith attack on Atlantis killed my parents. Oma found me in what was left of our home. She took me to Morgan, to my teacher, and then we fled to Earth, our shared point of origin. I remained a student and a ward to both of them until I was old enough to venture out on my own. Then I spent my time there exploring the world Earth had become, observing, and studying the humans and other living beginnings who now called it home, until I ascended."

He had been a student of Morgan's? He had been her ward as a child? So, in a way, he had been her child, hers and Oma’s? Well that explained some things. Morgan could have taken his actions personally, her anger towards him could very well be rooted in a sense of betrayal. Didn't make what she did to her and her mother any less unforgivable, but at least Sam felt she could understand a little better.

"You being on this station, becoming attuned to it, has helped you to find this place." Thomas said. "And when you're here I can come to you."

"Is that safe for you?" Sam asked as she joined Thomas who'd taken a seat on the steps.

"They can't do to me any more than they already have." Thomas reassured.

"They can't make you not exist?" Sam asked.

Thomas shook his head. "That is a level they will not stoop to, because then they could no longer claim to be all that different than the Ori."

Lanteans vs Alterans. Ancients vs Ori. Sam vs Adrina. Sam accepted command of Atlantis for a lot of reasons, one of those reasons might have been the simple fact that she needed a break from fighting what surmounted to a holy war. Sam had been taken from her mother to fight against what Oma had called an oncoming storm. Everyone thought Oma meant the Ori in general following the discovery of their existence and agenda. But Sam had been wondering if they had meant something, someone, a little more specific. They did have a lot in common, she and Adrina. They had both been born to human women impregnated by an ascended being, making them human/ascended hybrids. They were both meant to lead, to fight, to win, for their respective sides in this war.

...she will be the beacon of light in the darkness…

While Sam had no doubt she and Adrina were meant to be pitted against each other, there was a huge difference between the two that would end up being the deciding factor in all of this. Vala had been violated by the collective power of the Ori, impregnated against her will, used by them for the sole purpose of creating a vessel for them. Adrina had been manipulated from conception, warped, and twisted into a weapon to be use against not only the enemies of, but the very people who believed in, the Ori. Helen had fallen in love with a charming, brilliant, even a little roguish, human man. And yes, Sam's conception had been a surprise, but a welcome one. Sam had been created out of love and passion and respect. Yes, her life had been manipulated by the actions of the Ancients, but she had not. She had been allowed to grow up naturally, to find her own way, to become the person she is through her own choices and experiences.

"What's on your mind, Sam?" Thomas asked after watching the emotions swirling in his daughter's eyes.

Sam blinked, shook her head in a minuscule way that most people who didn't know her or Helen wouldn't have really payed much attention too. But those who did know them knew it was a habit they shared, one that meant they were shaking off their thoughts to focus on the real world. Sam wasn't sure she wanted to waste her time with Thomas talking about the world outside this moment in Nowhere, so she said, "You're calling me Sam." He smiled at her and she returned that smile. "Before, when you came back, you called me Samantha."

"You prefer Sam." Thomas replied. "And Samantha is something special between just you and your mother." His warm smile turned radiant as he said, "I'm proud of you, Sam. It wasn't easy but you and Helen have built something beautiful between you. I couldn't be happier."

Sitting with him in this place, Sam would finally get the chance to say what she had wanted to say to him for so very long. Since that night on the parapet when Helen told Sam she was hers. ...I am your mother, Samantha… ...You are mine…

"Thank you." Sam said softly as she looked into her father's eyes. "For giving her back to me."

Thomas reached up and once again cupped his daughter's cheek. "I only wish I had done it sooner."

"I wish we could have had the same chance." Sam admitted.

"As do I." Thomas sighed softly.

The moment between father and daughter came to a crashing halt when the stillness of the control room was shattered by the sudden sound of bagpipes. In the real world Sam's alarm had just gone off.

Thomas laughed for a moment before saying, "It's time for us to part, though I did not expect our meeting to end on such a blaring note."

Sam groaned and rolled her eyes, though there was a small smile of affection on her lips "My wife has a horrible sense of humor." She could feel the pull of consciousness dragging her back to reality, but she fought against it. She wasn’t ready to let this moment go. What if she never got another chance to see or speak to him? 

"It's alright, Sam." Thomas said reassuringly. "You'll see me again if you wish. Go on now little one. Go, how would your mother say it, go be a badass." He kissed her forehead and said, "I love you, Sam."

Sam awoke with a soft gasp. Her eyes flew open and darted around the room. She was back in her bed, in her quarters, in Atlantis. Had that been real? Had she really talked to Thomas? Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and realized she could still feel the warmth of his presence and she smiled. Maybe she wasn't as alone out here as she'd thought.


	17. Don't Tell Mom... Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another Sam and Ashley adventure, only this time in space!

It wasn't the first time Sam had had a visitor come to Atlantis since she'd taken command of the base. Janet came whenever she could, and Cassie had come during her recent school break. Even her boys and Vala had popped in a couple of times, but this was different. This guest was special, and Sam was beyond excited for her arrival. Her anticipation had only gotten worse when she'd received word that her guest had arrived safely at Midway and was simply waiting out the quarantine period before continuing on to Atlantis. When the alarm on her desk sounded Sam jumped to her feet with a beaming smile. After securing her terminal she practically ran out of her office, headed for the command center and Stargate. Some of her crew were amused by Sam's excitement while others were confused by it. Sam didn't take notice of any of them. She stood at the top of the steps out of range of the Stargate's energy expansion as it spun and locked each of its seven chevrons. Once the vortex retreated and stabilized Sam began making her way down towards the gate.

John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Teyal, and Jennifer Keller watched from one of the side railings as a young blonde woman stepped out of the wormhole. She had short yet shaggy blonde hair, and soft yet sharp blue eyes. She wore tight, torn jeans and a white tank top under a black leather jacket. She had a large black duffle bag over one shoulder and a large box tucked under the opposite arm. They watched as the woman's face lit up as soon as she saw Sam, dropping her bag and the box as Sam drew closer.

"Ashley!" Sam said with such glee it made certain people at the railing cringe.

"Who is that?" McKay asked as he watched the two crash into an embrace.

Keller smiled softly. "She's the Colonel's younger sister."

"Carter's been talking about nothing else for a week, Rodney." Sheppard said as he looked over at the other man. "How did you not know that?"

"Did you know that I got here using something called the Carter McKay Intergalactic Bridge?" Ashley said once she let Sam go. She smirked wickedly at her big sister. "You have a space bridge named after you. How big of a deal are you out here, Sammie?"

Sam chuckled softly. "Not as big as you’d think." Reaching up she tugged at the new short strands of Ashley's hair. "This is different. I love it."

Ashley shrugged, blushing a little, and then reached up herself to pull on Sam's ponytail. "So is this."

"Apparently we've switched hair." Sam laughed as she put her arm around her sister after grabbing Ashley's bag, while Ashley picked up the box. "What's in the box, Ash?"

"Mom sent a care package." Ashley said brightly, and then her eyes darted up to the railing and the audience they apparently had. "What's with the peanut gallery?"

Sam looked up and smiled. "You can meet them later. I've missed you and I'm not willing to share you yet. Come on, let's get you settled in."

While they walked through the halls and corridors to the room Ashley would be staying in Sam talked a million miles a minute about everything from the walls, and views outside the windows, to the plants they passed. Ashley was getting a kick out of the excitement and childlike wonder in Sam's voice. She couldn't help but smirk as she thought if Sam was this excited having her here, she'd explode, or self-combust if their mother had come. Helen had wanted to come but had been forced to take care of something urgent in the new Praxis Sanctuary. She had promised she would make plans to join them as soon as she possibly could, and if not, she would certainly arrange something at a later time.

Her sister was saying something about the city outside the windows, but Ashley's attention was suddenly drawn to something else, someone else. Reaching for her sister's arm she grabbed Sam and made her stop. "Who is that?"

Sam looked across the open space to where Ashley was looking. "That's Ronon Dex, he's a member of AR-1."

Ashley smirked as she looked him up and down. The goatee, the dreads, the muscles, all made Ashley lick her lips as she said, "He's yummy."

"Ashley." Sam said, her voice taking on a warning tone. "No."

"What?" Ashley said sweetly as Sam pulled on her to make her walk again.

"No." Sam repeated firmly.

Ashley laughed. "Oh, come on Sammie! I came here to have an experience, and something tells me he would be an experience."

"And here I thought you came to see me." Sam said with a pout.

"I did, I came to spend time with my badass space station commanding big sister." Ashley said sincerely and then smiled. "And to have an experience." She laughed at the look on Sam's face and couldn't stop herself from continuing. "Come on Sammie. I haven't had fun like him since that fling I had with Marquis."

"Ashley, that fling nearly killed you." Sam reminded the younger woman. "You were in a coma for a week and I thought Mom was going to have an aneurysm she was so angry."

"Yeah but the sex was so worth it." Ashley moaned softly at the memory. "I need that kind of sex again, Sammie."

Sam couldn't help but laugh as she put her arm around her sister and pulled her close again. "God, I missed you, Ash."

While Ashley unpacked and settled into one of the penthouse rooms they used as VIP quarters, Sam went through the care package Helen had put together for her. There were several bottles of the Big Guy's whisky, and a large mason jar full of something clear. She held it up to Ashley in a silent question and Ashley smiled. "He started making his own moonshine."

The box also included blue jello cups, a couple packages of Jammy Dodger and Tim Tam cookies, several Crunchie bars, Maltesers, two scented candles one that smelled of lily of the valley and sandalwood, and the other like Scottish heather. The first would smell like Helen's favorite perfume, and the second was one of Janet's favorite candles to burn. The box also held a digital playlist that Cassie put together, and some of Sam's favorite shampoo, conditioner, body wash and make up products. The motorcycle model kits made her laugh, while the letters and pictures brought tears to her eyes. Holding one of the tins of her mother's personal tea blends to her nose didn't help. Sam suddenly felt incredibly homesick. She missed her wife, and her daughter, and her mother, and everyone else she'd left behind.

"Ok Sammie." Ashley said when she saw the look in her sister's eyes. "Show me this space station of yours."

The spark of excitement from earlier was back and Sam nodded eagerly. She showed Ashely everything she was allowed to show her, which was a lot since Ashley's clearance was almost as high as their mother's. When Sam showed her the control chair and explained, in a cliff note's kind of way, what it did Ashley asked, "Are you ok being here, Sammie?"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, turning her gaze from the chair in the center of the room to her sister who stood at her side.

Ashley waved her hand around to indicate the room, the chair, the tech. "This place, this what did you call it? City-ship? It was made by the very people who played god with your life and Mom's."

"I appreciate the concern, but you don't have to worry about me, Ash." Sam said as they made their way to her office. "Being here has actually been helpful." Once they were within the confines of her office she admitted, "I saw Thomas. I got to speak to him."

"What?" Ashley replied, her eyes wide with surprise and filling with more concern. "When? How?"

"Not long ago." Sam answered. "It's hard to explain how, but something about being here lets him enter my dreams in a way. He's safe, alive, sort of, and he wants me to use my time here to learn more about them."

"Them?" Ashley repeated. "As in the alien race of pricks who kidnapped you and violated our mother by taking her child and manipulating her memories? I hope you told him where to stick that idea."

"Not in so many words." Sam said with a shrug.

"Sammie." Ashley said, but when she saw the look in her sister's eyes, she knew to drop it for now. So, she poked around her sister's office instead, looking at the things she had on display. Behind her desk Sam had several framed pictures of her family and closest friends. Ashley picked one up and laughed as she squealed, "Sammie! Did you photoshop Mom to make her look old?"

"Older." Sam corrected. "I made her look older. No one here knows about Mom, and they don't need too. In fact, only AR-1 knows about Thomas and that's just because they were there when I confronted Morgan."

"You have to send her a copy of this." Ashley said with a laugh. "Ya know, so she knows what she's supposed to look like when she comes to see you." She looked at the picture again and laughed harder. "You gave her gray hair, Sammie, she's going to love this."

"Sarcasm noted." Sam said with a laugh of her own. "Come on, let's go get something to eat. It's getting late and I really want to show you one of my favorite places onboard."

When they got to the mess hall they found the senior staff were all sitting at the same table chatting and eating. It was Teyla who called out to Sam, asking if she and Ashley would like to join them. They did and Sam introduced everyone. Almost all of them greeted and welcomed Ashley warmly.

"How come I didn't know you had a sister, Sam?" McKay asked as he glared at Sam.

"Because I don't like you enough to tell you about my personal life, Rodney." Sam replied easily.

"What is it you do Ashley?" Teyla asked.

Ashley smiled warmly. "I work for our mother." Ashley gave them the basic cover story of what she did and what their mother did. "Mostly I like to focus on the security side of things and leave the science stuff up to our mom."

Things went well, Ashley charmed everyone, and Sam only had to kick Rodney under the table once. After the group disbanded for the evening Sam took Ashley out onto the terrace to see the city laid out before them.

"Wow, Sammie, this is…" Ashley was awestruck.

Sam smiled as she stood beside her sister. "Yeah, it is."

Ashley made herself at home aboard Atlantis, spending as much time with Sam as she could. She was getting a kick out of how different Sam was here. Sam the commanding office of Atlantis was a totally different force than Sam of SG-1. As the sisters made their way through the station Ashley watched as four armed guards escorted a tall white skinned 'man' with long white stringy hair and facial ridges pass them. The man creature thing smiled at her sister in a way that made Ashley uneasy.

"Hello Colonel." He said to Sam before turning his gaze to Ashley. "And who is this?"

Sam looked at the armed men. "Get him back to his cell."

Once the guards and creature were in the lift Ashley turned to Sam and asked, "What the hell was that?"

"That's Todd, he's a Wraith." Sam answered and then explained to her sister what a Wraith was.

Ashley listened and then said, "Sammie! You have space vampires! A space vampire named Todd. I wonder if Nikola knows there are space vampires."

Sam laughed. "They're kind of vampires, they feed off the life force of people not off their blood. And I'm pretty sure Mom would prefer Nikola not know space vampires exist."

Ashley looked over her shoulder as if seeing the Wraith again. She'd gotten a good look at him as he passed, and it had sent a chill down her spin. "Hey Sammie, does his kind of remind you of someone?"

Sam thought about it and shook her head. "No, not really. Why does he remind you of someone?"

"I don't know, I thought for a moment maybe, but I guess not." Ashley replied. Turning her attention back to her sister she said, "So, while you're busy I thought I'd check out the gym. I think I need to sweat out some of that moonshine we had last night."

Reaching up Sam rubbed her temples. "We should have known it would be strong."

The sisters went their separate ways at the appropriate intersection. Sam heading to the command center and Ashley to the gym. The younger of the pair was pleasantly surprised to find the gym was already occupied. She stood and watched him for a while, the way he moved, with such grace and strength. She smiled a huge Magnus smile when she finally said, "Hello Ronon. Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

He stopped, turned to face her, and returned the smile. Sam had introduced them that first night over dinner, and they'd gotten a chance to talk a few more times since but this was the first chance they'd had to be alone. "Not at all."

"What was that you were doing?" She asked as she crossed the room towards him.

"A fighting style Teyla showed me." He explained.

Ashley smiled as she walked over and picked up a pair of sticks. She tested their weight and balance as she got a feel for them, and then turned back towards Ronon and smiled. "Show me."

Ronon smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Show you?"

Ashley took up a defensive stance and smirked back. "That's what I said tough guy."

In the command center Sam was getting a sitrep from everyone while looking through messages and reports on her tablet. Something in one of the reports caught her eye and it made her walk over to Rodney's station to ask him a question. "Rodney."

"Yes Sammie?" McKay replied as he looked up from his computer to look at Sam with a crooked grin. 

Sheppard's head snapped up just as Sam's did. In fact, every head in the room looked up from what they were doing to look over at McKay and Sam.

"I will lock you in a cell with Todd and let him feed off you for a week if you ever call me that again." Sam told McKay with such firmness and sincerity that McKay swallowed hard and sank down in his chair.

"Right. Sorry." McKay said. "Ok, then. Um, you had a question?"

Sam glared at him a moment longer before asking, "What's this report about a science team bringing a wounded animal onboard?"

"Oh that." McKay replied as he sat up a bit. "It's probably nothing. Ming and Gillings are such bleeding hearts."

"Bringing an unknown alien species onboard is probably nothing?" Sam questioned. Even before she'd been introduced to her mother's secret world Sam would have said this was a bad idea. "Rodney, you're the chief science officer and there are protocols for these things."

As if the universe wanted to make Sam's point for her one of the ops officers called out to her and reported that there was an issue in the lab where the animal had been taken for care. Sam sent McKay a look that made him back his chair away from her.

"Come on Rodney." Sam ordered as she made her way towards the door.

"Do I have too?" McKay replied.

"Rodney!" Sam barked over her shoulder.

As Ming explained what happened Sam stood there glaring at the busted cage. She had her arms crossed over her chest and all her weight had shifted to her left foot. The animal, who Gillings had described as being no bigger than a chihuahua puppy, had busted out of the cage and ate its way through a wall. It was now somewhere on the station. Turning to look at Sheppard, Sam ordered, "Lock down the command tower. Hopefully, we can keep that thing contained and away from the city."

"You got it." Sheppard said before leaving to follow through on the command.

"You got some pretty impressive moves." Ronon said as he made his way across the room to get his shirt.

Ashley grinned. "I have a few." She replied just as the announcement was made that the station was going on lockdown.

"Well that ain't good." Ronon said.

Ashley got to her feet and snatched her hoodie from the floor. "Let's go see what kind of fun they're having out there without us."

Ronon smirked as they left the room. "I liked the fun we were having in here."

When they caught up with Sam, she was crouched down looking at a huge hole in the wall. It was several centimeters larger than the one in the lab. Reaching out with a pair of tweezers she plucked a tufted of tawny fur from a jagged piece of metal. "Well it certainly came this way."

"What came this way?" Ashley asked as she and Ronon walked up together.

Sam stood and eyed the two of them, her bright blue eyes narrowing slowly at the pair.

Ashley smiled sweetly. "What's going on Sammie?"

Sam explained that they had an alien animal they knew nothing about running loose on the station. She explained that the small creature was able to bust out of its cage and apparently liked to eat through walls. She ordered Ronon to find Teyla, and Ashley to stay with her.

"Chasing space ghouls on a space station in a galaxy far far away with my big sister." Ashley said with a huge smile. "You spoil me, Sammie."

Sam just shook her head. "You're a brat, Ash."

"I know." Ashley replied. "It's one of the many reasons you love me."

The critter didn't show up on internal sensors which made it hard to locate. Thankfully, Ashley didn't need internal sensors. She had a lifetime of experience chasing down critters, creatures, and boogeymen through cities, swamps, and sewers. Which is why she and Sam were the first ones to spot the animal.

"That's bigger than a chihuahua puppy." Sam said as she eyed the two legged, tawny colored, lemon shaped creature that was now the size of a lab puppy.

"Space nubbins!" Ashley squealed excitedly. "Sammie can I keep it!? Please!"

"No!" Sam replied sharply which alerted the space nubbin to their presence. It blinked cat like eyes at them and then began making a low humming noise. The lights around them began to flicker, and the air took on a tangy feel to it as sparks of energy began to crackle in its fur while it narrowed its eyes. The Magnus sisters just barely jumped out of the way of the discharge it sent their way before it took off at a wobbly run. The lights that had flickered were now out and some of the fixtures smoked from the electrical discharge. Sam groaned as she looked over at her sister. "It's an electric type space nubbin."

Things didn't get any better from there. The next team to spot the critter was Sheppard and McKay. When they came across it, it was feeding on a set of couches in one of the common areas. They watched in various degrees of stunned horror as the creature grew in size and shifted in shape. Now it was more watermelon shaped and had four legs. Sheppard shot at it with a stun weapon but all that did was piss it off. It fired off another electrical charge. This time not only did the surrounding area go dark but a small section of the whole floor.

"Ok, so what we know is that it eats then it gets bigger." Sheppard said when they all met up again in the infirmary to regroup. McKay had been a little singed by the discharge and wanted to see Keller.

"It's somehow electrical." McKay added.

"Which means we cannot let it anywhere near the command center or the Stargate." Sam said while ordering not only the blast doors to go down around the command center but force fields to be erected.

"It seems to draw power from its surroundings before it fires off its defense mechanism." Ashley offered up. "Might be a good idea to cut back on power as much as you can. Give it less fuel to feed off."

"Good idea." Sam agreed and then gave the order to cut back power to just the base minimum. 

They once again split up into teams of two. Sam and Ashley were the ones to find the creature first again. It was the size of a lioness now, and it was also attacking Major Lorne. Ashley fired at the beast using the sidearm Sam had given her to use, causing it to howl and turn towards her. The bullet had struck its flank but didn't wound it any more than a bee sting wounded human skin. It snarled at her, showing off a mouth full of impressive looking teeth. "Ok, no longer a space nubbin."

They needed to get past the beast to get to the major, and then get the major to the infirmary. Sam took up a stance that angled her fire along with Ashley's to drive the beast back. They took turns firing at it, causing the painful little bee stings, until they could dart over to Lorne. While Sam went to check on her injured soldier Ashley watched the beast and noticed it was trying to draw power from what remained of the lights around them. She also noticed the pillars in the room that seemed to have water or some other clear fluid in them. She shot at one of the pillars, sending the fluid spraying out all over the creature. It howled in anger and pain and then ran off.

Running into Sheppard and MaKay on the way to the infirmary, Sam gave them Lorne. She told them that she and Ashley would continue tracking the creature. Sheppard argued, thinking he should be the one to go after the beast with Sam, given the fact that they were the two trained military officers, but she ordered him to take Lorne. She and Ashley would handle the beast. John argued back.

"In this case John there isn't anyone I want at my side more than Ashley right now." Sam told him honestly. "Now get Lorne to Keller, that's an order."

They needed a way to incapacitate the creature somehow. It seemed able to take a lot of physical damage, so their normal weapons wouldn’t be of much use. Sam wanted to at least try to capture it instead of killing it, so they needed to work out a play to trap it. "We need to put it to sleep." Ashley said as they walked the corridors, weapons aimed and ready, the beams from their flashlights leading the way. "Gas it somehow."

Sam nodded her agreement. "There's an intersection of corridors I think we can trap it in."

They worked out a plan and Sam clued in the others. McKay would need to program the environmental vents in that section, Sheppard would need to work on sealing off that space, and Keller needed to come up with a powerful enough gas using some suggestions from Ashley as a starting point. Sam wanted to leave killing the creature as a last resort, while also minimizing damage to that station. But if gassing it didn't work, then they would try flooding the room with the fluid from the pillars since it seemed to have done some damage to the creature when Ashley sprayed it.

"How do we get it there?" Teyla asked over the comms.

Sam and Ashley smirked at each other as Sam answered, "You just leave that up to us."

"Yeah, don't worry." Ashley added. "We got this."

Once everything was in place Sam and Ashley tracked the beast down one last time. It was now the size of a direwolf; massive and strong.

"Ready?" Sam asked her little sister.

Ashley nodded. "Let's do this, Sammie."

Sam counted off on her fingers and on three they got the beast's attention. They fired at it, it turned and growled as soon as it saw them. They could see that there was now damage to the side of its face and neck from the fluid, so that seemed like a more viable option now. Still, neither of them wanted to do it any real harm or kill it. They were their mother's daughters after all. The best outcome here was to capture it and return it to its natural environment.

The beast charged towards them. As it began to chase them, it grunted and snorted and growled at them. They ran towards the trap, running as hard as they could and cutting sharp corners that made the beast collide into the wall as it turned the same one. It would send off electrical charges, which they had to dodge, but each charged was weaker and weaker since it couldn't feed off the diminished power around it.

It was in no way an easy run, but hardly one of the hardest they'd ever done together. Though missions with her mother were never dull they weren't the same as when Sam and Ashley were together. Those times, the two of them alone out in the field away from Helen's watchful eye, the sisters tended to be just a little more ambitious, a little wilder.

As they approached the trap Sam ordered Sheppard to seal off the space, leaving one way in and out. They ran into the space, the beast followed. "Now!" Sam yelled, and a heavy door began sliding down, closing off the opening they'd just ran through. Now came the tricky part. Getting past the beast and out the door before it slammed closed and seal up.

"This is stupid." Sheppard said. "This isn't going to work."

The AR-1 team and Keller watched as the door inched closer to the floor.

"They're going to get stuck in there with it." McKay said.

"If I stop it now, they'll still be able to get out but the creature won't." Sheppard said as he reached for the control.

Teyla stopped him. "Wait."

Ronon smirked. "They got this."

Just before the door slammed into the floor Sam and Ashley came sliding under it in unison, firing at the beast one last time before the loud thud of the door fill the space. Getting to her feet Sam asked, "Are the seals in place?"

Teyla answered since Sheppard seemed to be too stunned to speak. "They are."

"Doctor Keller if you would please." Sam ordered. "I think it's time our friend took a nice long nap."

It took more than ten minutes for the beast to give in to the gas, but the gas did work. The creature was knocked out cold, placed in a cargo crate and loaded onto a puddle jumper. Ming and Gillings accompanied AR-1 to return the beast to where they found it. Sam ordered them to stay and observe until the beast awoke just to make sure it got back to its life relatively unscathed.

"Best vacation ever." Ashley said with a huge smile while passing Sam the mason jar of remaining moonshine.

The sisters sat side by side reclining on Sam's bed. Their hair was still wet from their respective showers, their freshly nail painted toes wiggled at the end of their outstretched legs. Sam smiled as she accepted the jar. "Ash, do me a favor." Sam said before taking a drink from the jar and passing it back. "Don't tell Mom about this, ok. I don't want to give her yet another thing to worry about, she worries enough as it is."

"Alright Sammie." Ashley said as she set the jar on the nightstand. "I won't tell Mom about the space ghoul." Then she smirked a wicked smirk as she said, "But I am totally telling her you let me have sex with an alien."

"Ashley!" Sam replied. Grabbing her pillow, she hit her sister with it before pouncing on her, pinning her to the bed, and tickling her. "You're such a brat!"


	18. Reality of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam gets another visitor while on Atlantis, and this visitor brings news that's a bit hard to hear.

Ever since the incident with the electrified, shapeshifting, rapid growing space beast Sam had been hell bent on reviewing and revising station procedures and protocols. While Rodney had gotten his wish, getting a commander who was a scientist and explorer, that scientific mind had come with a side of military training and expectations. Which is why Sam was in the conference room going over another review with another department while Sheppard minded the shop.

He was standing at the railing looking over information on a tablet when a comms officer called out for his attention. They were getting a message from Midway saying they were establishing a wormhole. Apparently, they had a VIP visitor on the way. The message didn't say who it was, only that this person had all the proper clearances. As Sheppard made his way down to the Stargate to greet the traveler, he kept muttering to himself, "Please don't be Woolsey. Please don't be Woolsey."

The person who stepped out of the Stargate was most certainly not Richard Woolsey. The woman had long black wavy hair and piercing blue eyes. She wore a fitted black skirt, a striped button-down shirt under a black blazer, and heels. She looked like she'd just stepped out of a board room not an intergalactic space portal. Stepping up to the woman while signaling the men on guard to standby Sheppard greeted her warmly. "I'm Lt. Colonel John Sheppard. Welcome to Atlantis, Ma’am. You are?"

She smiled a familiar smile. "Doctor Helen Magnus. I'm here to see Colonel Samantha Carter."

Sheppard's brow went up and he smiled a little while signaling the guards to stand down while also reaching out to shake the woman's hand. "Magnus?" He repeated. He should have known that. He'd seen the picture on Sam's desk but seeing the woman in person, well, the picture didn't do her justice. "As in…"

Helen's smile brightened as she shook the young man's hand and nodded. "Samantha's mother, yes."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ma'am." Sheppard said with a grin. "Carter's in the middle of something right now. Why don't I take you up to her office while I send someone to let her know she has a visitor."

While she waited on Sam, Helen walked around her daughter's office looking at what she had on display. On the shelves behind her desk, Sam had photographs of Janet and Cassie, the members of SG-1 past and present, herself, Ashley, and Gregory, Jacob, and a photo of her favorite Indian motorcycle which made Helen chuckle softly to herself. On the desk itself was another photo of Janet, this one included Sam since it was their wedding photo, Cassie’s graduation picture, and the completed 1/35 scale model of the Indian 741B motorcycle used by the US Military that Helen had included in the last care package she'd sent. Helen picked up the toy and smiled. It had been Henry's idea. They all knew how much Sam loved to tinker on her cars and bikes and that not being able to do so would drive her crazy. Henry had hoped the model kits would help, so Helen had brought more with her this trip as well.

Helen had just set the toy back on the desk when she heard a surprised and delighted squeal of, "Mom!" Turning she saw her daughter and smiled a huge smile. Everyday military uniforms weren't meant to be attractive in anyway, but the jumpsuit Sam wore was far more flattering than her BDUs. Then again it might not be the uniform at all but the role of command that suited Sam so well. "Hello my darling." She hugged her eldest daughter tightly in greeting. "I hope you don't mind me just stopping by unannounced like this."

"Well as long as you were in the neighborhood." Sam teased after reluctantly pulling out of the hug. She beamed a smile at her mother, she couldn't help it, and then asked. "What are you doing here, Mom?"

"Well that's a rather silly question isn't it, Samantha?" Helen chuckled. "I'm here to see you."

"I had no idea you were coming." Sam replied, absolutely overjoyed at seeing her mother. Another bout of homesickness had recently settled into her bones and having her mother here was helping to alleviate the ache. 

"I wanted to surprise you." Helen replied. "Jack and Hank were gracious enough to help me out. That weaselly little man named Woolsey wasn't as gracious, but I have a feeling he's scared of Jack. "

Sam laughed. "A lot of bureaucrats are."

Sheppard had made arrangements to set Helen up in one of the penthouses in the habitat tower, the one with the quickest and easily route to Sam's quarters. Sam thanked him for taking care of that for her so quickly. Luckily, most of what Sam had to do that day was paperwork, which she could put off for a few hours. That gave Sam a chance to give Helen the basic tour. Showing Helen Atlantis was different than showing Ashley. For Ashley it was showing her an alien space station in a far-off galaxy, but for Helen it was showing her a piece of the world that Thomas had come from. It was sharing an understanding of the man she had once loved enough to have a child with. Sometimes those thoughts and feelings were still strange for Helen to deal with.

"It's remarkable, Samantha." Helen said as they made their way to her room. "I've truly seen nothing like it, and I have seen a lot in my lifetime."

"Sometimes it still makes my head spin." Sam admitted. "The things the Ancients were accomplishing when the earliest humans were just figuring out how to cook meat on a fire."

During their last video chat Sam had told Helen about speaking to Thomas, and about what was said. As they entered Helen's quarter's Sam told her that she'd been exploring the city a little more since then and asked if she would like to see it as well. Of course, Helen said she would love too. Sam apologized for having to abandon her mother for a few hours but promised to make it up to her. Helen completely understood. Her visit had come totally out of the blue, not giving Sam any time to prepare and rearrange things. She told Sam she would be staying for as long as she could, and that there was no rush.

Before leaving her mother to settle in Sam stopped at the door and smirked. "Hey Mom?"

"Yes darling?" Helen said as she looked up from opening her bag to look at her daughter.

Sam's smirk turned a little wicked as she pointed to her own head while saying, "I think you might be going a little gray."

There was a slight widening to Helen's eyes before she gave Sam a look and said, "Cheeky."

Sam laughed then made a quick exit. Though Helen hadn't done a lot with her makeup, she had added a few random streaks of silvery gray to her black hair. She still looked younger than Sam's age would suggest she should be, but that was ok since the official cover story was that Helen was pretty young when she'd had Sam, hence the need to put Sam up for adoption. On her way back to the command center Sam stopped at the infirmary. She needed to ask Jennifer a favor, maybe two.

"Don't be ridiculous, Sam." Jennifer said brightly, using Sam’s first name since this was a personal matter. "It wouldn't be an inconvenience at all. I would absolutely love to show your mom around. Actually, I was hoping I'd get a chance to talk to her one on one. I heard about the work she did with Dr. Frasier on that plant virus. I would love to pick her brain, she sounds amazing."

It was kind of cute watching the young doctor fangirl over her mother. Sam smiled gratefully. "Thanks Jen. Have fun. My mom's quite the experience."

"I'm sure I will." Jennifer said. When it was clear that Sam had something else she wanted to ask she pushed, "Was there something else you wanted me to do?"

Sam bit her lip for a moment, thinking about whether or not to go through with the idea she'd had on the way down here. Finally, she said, "Do you remember the machine we used on McKay and Sheppard to deal with the dream parasite?" Jennifer nodded. "Do you think you could set it up again? There's something I want to do while my mom's here. I'll explain more later if you agree to do it."

"I'll see what I can do." Jennifer agreed with a nod and a warm smile.

"Thanks." Sam replied with a smile and then went back to work.

After her shift ended Sam headed back to her quarters where she showered and changed into jeans and a sweater before heading to the mess hall to pick up the dinners she'd ordered for her and her mother. They were going to spend the evening alone, talking over dinner and wine, catching up and just being in each other's space for a little while. It had been too long since they'd done that and both mother and daughter were in desperate need of it. She had just reached her door when she heard him call out her name and she groaned, letting her head fall forward onto her closed door and banging it gently a couple of times. Turning to face him as he approached, she said, "What Rodney?"

"Sam, have a look at this." Rodney said as he held out a tablet to her.

"Is it something important Rodney?" She asked him. "Something urgent that can't possibly wait until morning?"

"It's a possible scientific breakthrough, Sam." Rodney replied. "There is nothing more important than a new scientific breakthrough."

Sam sighed. She would have pinched the bridge of her nose if her hands weren't full. "Rodney. I'm having dinner with my mother tonight." She raised the containers of food to emphasize the point. "That's more important to me than helping you get unstuck on whatever it is you're working on."

Rodney looked at Sam and blinked. He tilted his head as if he didn't understand a word she said. Then he admitted, "I don't see how that's more important than helping me with this new algorithm."

"Go away Rodney." Sam replied with a shake of her head. Using her elbow to unlock her door she walked into her quarters and put the food on the table. She began setting things up thinking she was alone.

"Just look at the tablet, Sam." Rodney said holding it out once again.

Sam jumped. Spinning on her heel she glared at him and yelled. "Get out Rodney!"

"Is there a problem?" Helen asked as she walked into her daughter's quarter's, a gift bag in one hand and bottle of wine in the other. "Samantha?"

"No, Mom, there's no problem." Sam answered, still glaring at Rodney. "McKay here was just leaving."

"McKay?" Helen repeated as she looked the man over while setting the items in her hands down on the table. She gave him a polite smile as she said, "Rodney McKay?"

Rodney beamed. "Yes, I see that my brilliant reputation proceeds me."

Helen continued smiling politely. "Samantha's told me a lot about you."

Rodney's face fell. If Sam had told her about him then it wasn't his brilliance he'd be known for.

"Rodney, I really just want to spend the evening with my mother." Sam told him. "I haven't seen her since I left Earth. Whatever it is you need me to figure out for you will have to wait."

"I don't need you to figure out anything for me, Sam!" Rodney huffed. He was still holding out the tablet. He was just about to lower it to his side when Helen reached out for it.

"May I?" She asked while taking the tablet. Sam had told her about her relationship with Rodney McKay, how they were always competing to see who really was the smarter of the two, and about his intolerable arrogance. Helen had no doubt that the victor in that competition was her daughter, and as for his arrogance, he couldn’t be any worse than John and Nikola. As Rodney sputtered in shock and disbelief at her gall to take his table from him, she began looking over the work presented on the screen. "Well this is an interesting hypothesis."

As Helen seemingly praised what she was seeing Rodney stopped sputtering and began looking cocky. "It may be a little hard for you to understand." He said, not in a mean way, just in his McKay way. "It's not really something a medical doctor would come across."

"She isn't just a medical doctor." Sam said as she leaned against the edge of her table with her arms crossed over her chest and a knowing smirk on her face. "She also holds several PhDs in multiple areas."

Before Rodney could ask any questions, Helen pulled out the tablet's stylus and began writing on the screen. "This isn't quite right, and these equations are all wrong. It's no wonder you couldn't get the algorithm to work." She hummed softly as she made a few more corrections. "You tried to be clever here. It didn't work. Sometimes simplicity is best."

By the time she handed the tablet back to him Rodney was back to sputtering, and now even twitching as he took it back. He began looking over what she did and Sam could tell he was ready to tell her off, to go on one of his I'm the smartest person in the room rants, but as he looked over the changes she’d made he found himself unable to speak. When he finally looked up at them, Helen now stood beside her daughter, he looked completely flabbergasted and really quite pale. "You… You... You fixed it."

"I just made a few corrections." Helen said, that polite, yet a little patronizing, smile back in place.

"You…" Rodney stared at her. "You… It took me weeks… I've been staring at this for weeks… How…"

Sam began pushing him towards the door. "Go away now Rodney." When the door closed behind him, he was still sputtering in half sentences and unfinished words, Sam turned to look at her mother and exploded with pure glee as she said, "You broke Rodney!" She laughed as she walked towards her mother and hugged her. "You are the best Mom ever and I love you."

Helen laughed as she returned the hug. "You're welcome, sweetheart."

After going through her mother's latest care package, the pair sat down to eat and talk. Sam barely took breaths between sentences as she told her mother about everything going on for her out here, while Helen took her time updating Sam on everything back in Old Town. Once that was all out of the way Helen decided to take the conversation into deeper territories. Helen did make the trip just to see Sam and spend time with her, but there was another rather large reason she'd pushed the trip up to as soon as possible.

"Samantha." Helen said gently. "There is something I need to talk to you about. Ashley told me..."

Sam's head snapped up from her dinner. "What did Ashley tell you?"

Helen laughed at the look on Sam's face. "From the look on your face, not nearly enough about what you two got up to while she was here. Something tells me it was quite the adventure." She paused, watched Sam relax and reach for her drink. She smirked wickedly. "Perhaps something along the same lines as the events that led up to Michael Donnelley suddenly becoming an upstanding member of the community with a wildly successful food truck."

Hearing her mother talk about Mick Donnelley in a way that clearly said she knew everything made Sam choke on her wine and sputter.

Helen laughed a little harder as she handed Sam a napkin. "Honestly love, did you and your sister really think I wouldn't find out about that little run and gun night of yours? Everything turned out for the best, so I've never seen a reason to bring it up. Though I would like to know what happened to my favorite pair of Manolo Blahniks, which happen to disappear around the same time." She paused a moment to allow Sam to collect herself.

Sam's voice was a little horse as she said, "I've no idea about the shoes."

"You're a terrible liar, Samantha." Helen said with a soft chuckle. "But it's alright, I know it was Ashley." Several seconds passed before Helen once again began to speak, her voice taking on a more serious tone. "The not so secret adventures of the Magnus sisters isn't what we need to discuss, Samantha. It's something far more important."

There was a seriousness in her mother's tone that made Sam sit up a little straighter and give her mother her undivided attention. "Ok, Mom. What's on your mind?"

"Ashley told me about the hostile aliens of this galaxy." Helen began. "The Wraith. She said they were a vampiric species that feed off the life force of their victims."

Sam nodded. "They're a hive-based race, descendants of one of the Ancients' human experiments from one hundred thousand years ago gone horribly wrong. For countless centuries they've used the human populated worlds in this galaxy like free range cattle ranches."

Helen listened to Sam explain the Wraith and knew more than ever that she really needed to have this talk with her daughter. "Samantha, do you remember the first time our work crossed paths?"

"Of course, I do." Sam replied, a little thrown by the seemingly sudden change of subject. "My goa'uld got into your ghoul."

The topic at hand was so serious that Helen didn't even respond to Sam's attempt to get a rise out of her. "It was the first time you warned me of the severity of what would happen if I were to be taken as a host." Helen sighed softly as she looked into her daughter's eyes. "I have been trying to figure out a way to broach this subject with you ever since Teal'c told me what happened aboard the Odyssey. After Ashley told me about these beings, I knew I couldn't continue waiting for the right moment or the right way to say it." Helen paused again, reached out taking Sam's hand in her own, and then said, "Samantha, during your time in the time distortion bubble, fifty years passed, and you my darling girl, well, while everyone else grew older, you did not." Helen sighed softly and squeezed Sam's hand. "It would seem my love, that you have indeed inherited my ability after all."

Sam gently pulled her hand out of her mother's and got up from the table. She walked over to where she kept the bottle of whiskey the Big Guy had sent her and busied her hands with pouring drinks for them while trying to sort out what her mother had just told her. She was grateful Helen wasn't pushing her to say something, to react, but instead just quietly gave her the time she needed to process. When she finally returned to the table and handed her mother one of the glasses she said, "Janet's starting to get these really cute little crinkles at the corners of her eyes and lips when she smiles. Daniel dyes the hair at his temples to hide the wisps of gray. And Jack, well Jack's getting a little soft and round, and not just because he's sitting behind a desk when he's not sitting in a lawn chair." She took her seat and a long sip of the whiskey. "I was starting to wonder."

"Samantha." Helen reached for Sam's hand again and held it tightly in her own.

"How?" Sam asked. "We knew I had the gene, but we didn't think it was active."

"I don't know for certain." Helen admitted. "It could be any number of things. It could be that you reached the age I was when I used the serum. Or it could be your exposure to the Stargate or Jolinar. It could even be as simple as your body's reached its peak, the zenith of your physical wellbeing, so the gene kicked in to keep you there." Reaching out with her other hand Helen took hold of Sam's face and looked into her eyes. "Samantha, do you understand why I had to come here and tell you this."

Sam nodded as best she could with her mother's hand holding her chin. "I think so, yes."

"If one of those things were to ever feed off you it would quickly realize that you'd be a permanent food source." Helen said aloud just to reaffirm what was unsaid by Sam. "I had to make sure that you knew you would need to take extra precautions. Ashley was told about your little face off with the one you call Todd, and she told me. That encounter could have ended far worse than anyone could have imagined."

Sam's head was spinning. This new reality of her life was hard to wrap her head around. There would be ramifications both in the here and now and in the future. The hardest reality of them all being the now inescapable truth that she would outlive Janet.

As far as the here and now Sam knew she had to at least talk to Sheppard about this. Her mother reassured her that it was alright with her if she told him about her life span, and how this all came to be. Sheppard listened and reassured Sam that her secrets were safe with him. In fact, it had meant a lot to him that she felt she could trust him with this information. He also agreed that it would be a good idea to keep the government out of this. Not only did they not want to give them a reason to pull Sam as commander, but they didn't want to give them a reason to go poking at Helen and her work.

After her meeting with Sheppard, Sam just wanted to be left alone for a little while. Which of course meant Rodney came chasing after her as she prepared to take a walk in the city.

"Sam." Rodney said, his voice taking on that demanding tone of his.

She stopped and turned to face him. She didn't say anything she simply shifted her weight to her left foot and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Sam." He repeated, a bit more nervously now that she was looking at him like that. "Your mother has got to go."

Sam blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You need to send her back to Earth." Rodney said. "Right away."

"Why?" Sam asked. She wasn't sure if she was more angry, annoyed, or curious regarding his demand.

Rodney faulted a little as he tried to think on the spot. After a few moments he stood straight and puffed up his chest as he said, "Because it's not safe out here. She's a civilian, she could get hurt."

"Rodney, technically speaking, you're a civilian." She pointed out.

"Well, yes, in terms of not being part of the military crew." He sputtered. "But I am a member, a senior member, of the Atlantis team so I'm not really a civilian." He puffed out his chest a little more and tried once again. "It really isn't fair that you keep getting to have your family visit…"

"Your sister was here two weeks ago." Sam cut him off. "What is this really about…" She paused for a moment as it hit her. Then she began to laugh. "You want my mother off the station because she's smarter than you!"

Rodney's eyes went wide before he stuttered. "I... I do not!... She... She is not!"

Sam laughed so hard she nearly doubled over. Clapping Rodney on the back when she was finished laughing and could breathe again Sam said, "Thanks Rodney, I needed that."

He was so flustered and flushed he just stood there as Sam walked away.

Over the next couple of days Sam and Helen talked about what it would be like for Sam, or at least what it had been like for Helen in hopes of giving Sam some general idea of what it would be like. Helen also confirmed as gently as she possibly could that yes, the hardest part of it would be losing the people they loved. Sam admitted she wasn't sure if she could do it, if she could continue living once she'd lost Janet, and the eventually Cassie as well. She and Janet had talked about the what ifs and Janet had done her best to make it seem as if it would be easy, even making a joke about being the old woman with the hot young wife, but now that it wasn't just a what if. Sam really wished she were back on Earth right now, back in their home, curled into Janet's tiny frame with her arms around her.

There was one upside to this. Sam watched her mother closely as they walked through the ruins of the part of the city Thomas had once called home. That's when it really hit her. "You don't have to be alone anymore."

Helen stopped what she was during, turned towards Sam and said, "What?"

"Since the day you realized you would outlive everyone you cared for, everyone you loved, you've carried around this piece of loneliness with you." Sam said gently. "But it's different now. You're not on this long journey alone anymore."

Helen smiled softly, her eyes burning with tears as she walked over and hugged her daughter.

The next time they stood in that place it looked very different. It was no longer a ruin but just how it was so long ago when a small boy ran around the tables of the small pub while his mother served up whatever she had made for the people in the their sector. Helen had gotten the general idea of what Sam wanted them to do. She was familiar with the concepts of lucid dreaming as well as the theory of shared dreams. According to young Dr. Keller, the machine she and Sam were attached to in the physical world was allowing them to experience this lucid shared dream. It was remarkable. Helen was fully aware that they were in Sam's dreamscape. It was simply amazing.

"It's beautiful, Samantha." Helen said in awe as she took it all in. "You must have done a lot of research to get so much of the detail."

"Kind of." Sam replied. "I mean, I have done a lot, but that's not why this place looks and feels so real. It's this place, and my connection to it."

Helen turned to look at Sam. "This place? Where are we?"

"Nowhere." Sam said with a smirk.

"Nowhere. Everywhere." A familiar voice said softly. "No time, every time."

Helen spun around. "Thomas?"

The tall blonde man he had once been smiled at her. "Hello Helen."

Sam took in the way her parents looked at each other. Her mother saw Thomas as someone she once cared a great deal for, someone who would always mean something special to her for the gifts he'd given her. Thomas looked at Helen like she was the sun, moon, and stars.

"It's good to see you again, Helen." Thomas said as he drew closer to her.

"I'm so happy to see you as well." Helen replied. "I wanted to thank you."

"You don't have to." He cut in.

She shook her head. "Yes, I do. You gave me back my reasons for continuing this existence of mine. You gave me Samantha and gave me back Ashley."

"It was the least I could do for everything you'd given me." He replied, taking her hands in his.

For the first and probably only time the three of them spent time together as a family. An experience both women would carry with them through the rest of their long-shared journey together. One of the many memories and experiences Sam would carry with her about Atlantis. One that wouldn't be joined by too many others because Sam knew now more than ever that her time here was limited. It would seem that she had all the time in the world to experience life but those she loved most didn't, and she didn't want to miss a single second more of Janet's or Cassie's, or anyone else's she loved.

So a week after her mother left Sam opened a video call from her office. "Sir, I think it's about time I went home."

"Alright Carter." Jack said with an understanding nod. "I'll see what I can do."

Sam smiled. "Thanks Sir."


End file.
